Effervescent Essence
by Weird
Summary: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

Trance felt Harper's presence as she began to press the keypad in front of her door. 

"Did you want something?" She turned to look at him and stifled a groan. He was carrying a blanket, a pillow, and a wide grin. 

"You're getting back at me for being overprotective, aren't you?" The grin disappeared and Harper seemed wounded. 

"Trance, do you remember how scared I was when our child was in my body? Now that you're carrying it around, and I have no way to control what you do, I'm overly freaked here." 

"Harper, I'll be fine, honestly." The young man didn't budge. "Harper..." 

"I can stand out here all night if I want to Trance. You need your rest." She scowled at him, knowing he was right. 

"Fine," she said, pressing the keypad. Harper dashed towards the door, but Trance stopped him with one hand. 

"You do know I'm actually going to sleep in the same room as you." Harper winced, knowing that she had left a bruise. "You wouldn't abandon me in the hallway, would you?" 

"Well I thought about it," Trance teased him, "but no. I'm just going to grab my things and then meet you back at your quarters. It seems I'll be spending my nights there if you insist on this arrangement. There's no way you're coming into my quarters." 

"Why? Are your dainties no put away properly or something?" He wiggled his eyebrows. Trance gave him one of _those_ looks. "Alright, I get it. Secrete Golden babe stuff. But you have to promise to come out." 

"I swear." Trance held up her hand. 

"Alright." He began to walk away. Despite her promise, he wanted to be sure she would come after him. "I'll see you in a few minutes my beautiful Titrane." He dashed to his quarters before she could catch him. 

Just as he predicted, she came 10 minutes later in her silk pajamas, a small knapsack with her personal belongings clutched in one hand. Harper noticed that even though he thought it wasn't possible, Trance's knuckles had gone whiter. 

"What was that about?" Her voice was low and hoarse. 

"Trance, calm down." Harper went to help her over to the bed, but she wouldn't move. He hadn't thought it would upset her so much. "This isn't good for the child." 

"Then why don't you explain just what you said?" 

Harper nodded and engaged privacy mode. The young man then walked over to a hidden compartment and pulled out a few flexis. He held up one. A holo appeared, projecting a mystical, sea green female. She was underwater; a fish tail in place of two legs, fins adorned her arms and scales raced up and down her body. Her hair billowed about her like plant life, and her ears ended in points. Gills were clearly seen gracing her slender neck. 

"This is what ancient earth fishermen called a mermaid. They were mystical creatures that lived underwater and came from the city of Atlantis. They would sometimes lure the fishermen into the watery depths and drown them." 

Trance stared at the picture, her face giving nothing away. Harper studied her, but upon seeing he wasn't getting anything from body language, pulled out the next flexi. 

This one portrayed an almost complete human. Her figure was mystical, though, tall and willowy. Her soft golden hair was put up in an intricate design of braids and leaves. She was wearing a plain white dress, but it seemed to fit with the rest of her body. Blue eyes, full lips, and high cheekbones, she was a vision of beauty walking under a full moon. 

"Now this sweetheart is once again from ancient earth mythology. They called 'em elves. Kinda like your purple form could be called a pixie, only you were a bit too big. No offense." Still no reaction. Harper pressed on. "Now I couldn't find anything that said whether elves and humans were connected, but apparently elves could work magic. They were very in tune with their respective elements...earth, fire, water...you get the point. And they were apparently more civilized than we humans, having great kingdoms." 

The next flexi had a silver creature on it. It had no hair or physical characteristics that could define it as male or female except for the eyes, which displayed masculinity. He was tall, about 6 foot even, and a translucent gray; red, silver, blue, and yellow organs shown through the skin. He had a long chin. The ears were once again pointed. 

"Now this baby is a little more updated. It's from Perseid mythology. They're called the Titranes, a species that lived on Ugroth in caves. They apparently did experiments with diamond and rubies and so on before the first Perseid took his first step on the planet. Now they're considered muses for the great minds of the Perseids, who believe they visit geniuses like yours truly in their dreams and give them ideas for breakthrough discoveries." 

"Are you done yet?" Trance finally gave her first sign of acknowledging Harper. 

"One last thing." Harper held up his last flexi. 

"That's a centaur." Trance raised an eyebrow. "It has nothing to do with me." 

"But does it?" Harper smiled, a glint in his eyes telling Trance that he had made some discovery he was excited about. "You see, many people believe that this mythological earth creature was created when a few good 'ol greeks saw some Vedran males running around on earth." 

"That's interesting. Where'd you find that bit of information?" Trance knew it was a lame attempt to change the subject, but tried anyways. 

"You'd be surprised what I can find." Harper's tone suggested something else, but Trance figured she didn't want to know. "The point is that I saw you turn into each of those three creatures during the transference, except your version of a Titrane was completely clear, but then again, Vedrans are blue and centaurs are earth colors. Anyways, if what I'm thinking is true, then you, or at least someone from your species, were seen on earth and a few other planets thousands of years ago." 

"Well that's one conclusion you could draw." 

"You have another?" Harper couldn't wait to hear her new excuses. 

"Perhaps the fact you were meeting our child again affected your side of the subconscious, and memories from tales replaced certain parts of me. Perhaps my own thoughts about receiving the child altered my state to you. Or perhaps it's a side effect, something you believed you remembered once you left that state and entered one of depression." Trance's voice was eerily quiet and formal. 

"But that doesn't explain why I would see a Titrane. I've never heard of one until I you became it." Harper stepped up to her, setting down the flexis and placing his hands on her shoulders. "That also doesn't explain why you're trembling out of anger right now. And like I said, this isn't good for the baby." 

"Then why did you bring it up?!" Trance burst out, her control let go. She stepped back, breaking their contact. 

"Because," Harper's voice was soft and sincere, "I thought that if I started to figure out what you were, you might tell me the rest about yourself. I mean, my god, we're having a child together, and I know next to nothing about you Trance. How the hell can I care for a child if I don't even know what his other half is capable of?" 

"Harper," Trance was calmer now. "It's very sweet what you're trying to do, but you're treading on dangerous ground. You know what you need to know, and if you find out too much more...you've already put yourself at a very high risk." A sort of sadness reflected in her eyes. "Just for once, stop being so inquisitive. Trust me. I wouldn't hold anything back I didn't think you absolutely needed to know." 

"Alright." Trance could still see he was disappointed. "Let me guess. This doesn't leave my room." 

Trance nodded, then crawled into the bed. Harper took his position on the couch, knowing that asking Trance for company would be pushing his luck tonight. But he just had to get something in to make up for the obviously huge mistake he had pulled off. 

"Don't worry about next time. If you ever try to hide, I'll just break through the locks. You're dainties aren't safe from this horny genius." 

Trance chuckled. 

That's what you think, she thought to herself before drifting off.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers.  

-------------------- 

"Now when you get to the third stage, you're going to..." Trance felt a tingle from her conscious self, telling her something was going on in the real world. She turned back to her child. 

"I have to leave. We'll continue this lesson when I can." She felt him say good-bye before waking up into real world. Trance looked around her quarters. No lights or sirens were going off, but she _knew_ something was wrong. Pulling back the covers, the golden alien walked over to Harper and gently shook him . Due to his years on earth, Harper was awake immediately without any further provocation. 

"What's up? Are you ok?" She caught his worried gaze with her own calm one. 

"I'm fine. But something's wrong. We need to get to Command." 

"Shouldn't we stay here and try to contact Dylan?" Trance shook her head. 

"We need to get to Command." 

"You're the boss." Harper allowed Trance to pulled him out of the room and towards the deck. As soon as they had left his quarters, they could hear faint sirens echoing down the hallway. They glanced at each other and began racing for Command, the flashing lights and loud wails growing louder as they approached their destination. 

Then it all stopped. Now the couple was definitely worried. Harper kept glancing around nervously, while Trance was focused on getting to the Command Deck. The doors opened, showing Dylan pacing in front of the slipstream controls, and Beka and Tyr leaning against various consoles, both very pissed off. Rommie was at attention, both hands clasped behind her, listening to Dylan intently. Everyone turned to look at Trance and Harper came in, Harper breathing hard while Trance hadn't broken a sweat. 

"Harper, Trance..." Dylan looked over at Rommie who was as puzzled as him. "You should be sleeping." 

"Hey Boss, are you going to inform us about the emergency?" Harper noticed Tyr and Beka looked rather tired and irritated. "This wouldn't happen to be one of your practice drills now would it?" 

"I had Andromeda block her security protocols from your area of the ship. I didn't think you'd still be able to hear them," Dylan explained apologetically. 

"We didn't, well, at least I didn't." Harper pointed to Trance accusingly. "She's the one that woke me up." 

"I have really good hearing," was Trance's response to their stares. Beka smiled, thinking how old-Trancish that sounded. Tyr just turned back to Dylan. 

"Captain, you were droning I believe?" 

"Well since you two missed it, I might as well start from the beginning." Beka muttered something obscene while Tyr took a menacing step forward, Rommie countering him. Harper, meanwhile, leaned over to Trance. 

"I think he'll let you go back to bed." Trance smiled. Harper would make a good husband for some lucky woman one of these days. 

"I'll be fine. That jog was refreshing." 

"Jog?" Harper rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, make fun of the weak human." 

"Are you two going to listen or should I start a third time?" If looks could kill, Harper would be saying hello to his parents right now. 

"We're just discussing the baby's condition. Trance is technically 8 days pregnant." Everyone immediately cooled down, fawning over the two. Harper hated to play the baby card, but it came with unique advantages of its own. And it's not like he was lying per se... 

"And I'm doing well. Continue Dylan." Trance pinched Harper's arm, a warning not to cry wolf. He bit back a yelp, deciding to reserve it for a later date when she would probably punish him again. 

"As I was saying," Dylan looked around to make sure he had the full attention of the room, "we're moving awfully slow, even just for drills people. We're to meet with the Canis-Lupus Pride in two days to discuss the charter." 

"And so we're being woken from our o-so-comfortable beds why?" Beka asked. 

"Because the Lupus Pride is as infamous as the Sabre-Jaguars. And for basically the same reasons, only not only are they cunning, they are also strong both physically and in numbers. They are...formidable opponents." Tyr said the last sentence with a smile. 

"But we're not here to make opponents," Dylan reminded the Kodiak. 

"Says the Captain who is having us perform emergency drills before our meeting," Tyr countered. 

"Yeah, well, whatever. Tread lightly in the land of the Nietzscheans, I learned that when I was two." Harper paused to yawn. "So can we go back to sleep?" 

"Yes, you may." Dylan waved them towards the door. "But I wouldn't be to sure we won't have another one of these." Everyone groaned at once. "We need good time people. Oh, and Trance..." The golden alien turned to face her captain. 

"Yes?" 

"If you happen to...hear anything again, just ignore it and get a good night's rest." 

"Lucky you," Beka muttered, patting Harper on the shoulder. 

"Yeah, well, having a kid has its perks." 

"Just wait for those 4 am feedings," Beka quipped. Harper started to reply, but noticed Trance had moved quickly ahead of him. He said goodnight to Beka before jogging to catch up with her. 

"What's with the hasty exit?" He jumped ahead to open the door for her. 

"Thanks. I just wanted to get back to sleep. I'm starting to feel fatigued." To emphasize her point, she went straight to the bed and curled up. 

Harper shrugged and decided to let her rest, remembering how tired he had been those 4 and a half months. He went back to the couch and was dreaming in mere minutes. 

Trance, though, had a hard time slipping off. Despite what Harper thought and Andromeda knew, Trance had been watching him those few hours before the transformation through the ships sensors. She had heard and watched the young man as he struggled with his inner torment. What Beka said had brought back that painful reminder that she was going to have to do something that would hurt her best friend. A lot. 

Tossing a bit, Trance finally drifted off to find her son still waiting for her. The young woman smiled, concealing her sadness from the young spirit. 

"Now where were we?"


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers.  

Note:  Aegis is actually a user on the SlipstreamBBS.  He won the title contest for this fiction, and therefore gets to become a character in the story.

-------------------- 

"Captain Hunt, I must say that your ship is astonishing." Alexander Felicen looked around the Command Deck. "I'm surprised you didn't invite us here sooner." 

Dylan smiled politely at the Lupus representative. 

"We had some problems with our last visitors. I wanted to make sure the same thing didn't happen again. Mr. Relathir?" Alexander's companion turned to face Dylan. 

"Oh we're all friends here Dylan." Alexander threw on the kind of smile only politicians could wear. "Call him Aegis." 

Rommie wanted to roll her eyes, but refrained from doing so. Alexander was going to be trouble. He was a young, brash Nietzschean who would remind her of Charlemagne, except he didn't have the Sabre's charm or tact for that matter. She couldn't for the life of her figure out why the Lupus Pride sent him. 

His advisor, or bodyguard for that matter, was a different story. Aging, an obvious war veteran, Aegis Relathir was quiet and respectful while Dylan spoke, but seemed to have contained his youthful demeanor behind his gray eyes. The avatar imagined Tyr would have fun sparring with that one. 

"Yes Captain Hunt?" Aegis had obviously decided to ignore his young charge's attempt to make nice. 

"Are you finding everything to your liking?" 

"It's a powerful ship," he replied. "It would do well to have this machine on our side." 

"I agree," Alexander pushed in. "So what else do we get to see?" 

"Well, that completes the tour. If you would like, we could start discussing our plans right now. Or perhaps you'd like to take advantage of Andromeda's crew quarters and rest." Alexander looked over at Aegis. 

"You go ahead." Aegis motioned Alexander forward. "Not much can happen to you on this ship. I would like to walk around, get a little exercise. If that's alright with Captain Hunt." 

"Wander to your heart's content. Shall we?" Dylan led Alexander off the Command Deck, Rommie trailing behind the two. 

-------- 

"So when will you start showing?" He glanced over at Trance from his perch on a workbench. 

"For normal humans it's 4 to 5 months, so for me it should be about 2 to 3 months, depending on what features he gets from my side as well." She fiddled with one of her dreadlocks. 

"Something on your mind?" Harper frowned. He knew she often held things back from him, but he could tell that it was much bigger and concerned him a great deal more than most of her secretes. 

"Just thinking about the next few weeks ahead and what to plan for. You thought the fatigue and vomiting was bad..." 

"And the cramps," he added. "Don't forget the cramps that weren't supposed to be included in the process." 

"Well, everyone reacts differently to the pregnancy. Just think of it as a display of your uniqueness." Harper rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah, well you're a...whatever. Doesn't that count for something?" 

"It lessens the pain. But I'll still have it all, and a few extra additions. As if swollen feet wasn't enough," Trance mumbled. 

"If my hearing doesn't deceive me, I believe that is the sound of a mother to be." Aegis stepped into the room. Harper slid off the bench, straitening up to his full height. Unfortunately he still only came up to the Nietzschean's chest. 

"You're hearing seems to be in good shape." Trance was friendly, yet cautious. "I'm 12 days in." 

"And you must be the lucky man." Aegis had taken note of Harper's stance as he entered. The Nietzschean clasped the young man on the shoulder. "I have 3 wives and 4 children of my own." 

"How lucky for you." Harper's jaw was clenched. Even though he had acted indifferent about the Nietzscheans before, he had been hoping that they wouldn't be coming near him or Trance. The engineer had wanted to put off this meeting, but Dylan had no other choice, he couldn't delay the negotiations for almost a year, especially with the world ship crisis. Aegis took his hand off of Harper. 

"You'll have to excuse him," Trance explained. "We had problems before." Aegis nodded in understanding. 

"I was just walking around, I didn't mean to intrude on your conversation, but I wanted to meet with the crewmembers that will be running this ship. Andromeda may be very powerful, but a ship is only as good the team that runs it." Aegis turned back to Harper. "I understand you're the one keeping the Andromeda together. It's an impressive job, especially after the number of battles Captain Hunt listed on one of the reports." 

"Big things come in little packages," Harper shrugged, moving a little closer to Trance. 

"Well if you don't mind, I'd like you to show me some of the areas that have received the worse battle damage and how you fixed them. I have a daughter who loves technology." Harper didn't know if Aegis was sincere, was trying to make nice, or had some other motive, but he had promised to be polite. 

"Follow me. I'll catch up with you later Trance." She nodded, smiling as the two left. The alien hadn't seen anything bad coming from this guest, at least anything that was unusual for Nietzscheans. He seemed like he could become a great asset actually, if the cards were played right. 

"You always did love those human games." Trance spun around, glaring at her twin brother. 

"What do you want Loki?" The purple male swung his legs, sitting in the same spot Harper had been just minutes earlier. 

"Just checking in on my little sister," he smiled. Although Loki was the eldest twin, age did not count for evolution in his species. It was dependant on knowledge and need. "I like you're new color." 

"I know you didn't just come here to complement me on evolving before you...again." Trance added that last part because she knew it got to him. 

"No fair. You messed with time." He jumped off the bench and pulled her into a hug. "I did miss you sis." 

"I know, I know." She returned the hug. 

"And I heard you've been going through some other changes." Loki winked. "Although the small blonde one? You could've done better." 

"He's a lot stronger than you would think," Trance said defensively. 

"Well let's hope so." Trance was puzzled. "You honestly didn't think just because he's human doesn't mean the two of you don't have go through The Test?" 

"Oh no!" Trance pressed her hand to her lips, horrified. "You can't be serious." 

"Emergency in Machine Shop 2. I repeat, we have a medical emergency in machine Shop 2." Andromeda's voice floated down the corridors. Trance gave Loki an accusing glare before racing off towards the shop. His lips formed a twisted smile. 

"Let the games begin."


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers.  

-------------------- 

Trance entered Machine Shop 2 and immediately grabbed the doorframe. How could she have not sensed it until now? 

Harper was lying on the floor. Aegis was standing off to the side as Beka tried to get a response from the unconscious boy. Tyr watched from nearby. 

"...he just collapsed and stopped moving." Aegis was explaining to the worried salvage captain. Trance hurried over and checked Harper's vital signs. 

"This is impossible!" 

"What do you mean it's impossible? What's going on?" Beka looked from Trance to Harper and then back at Trance. 

"Harper has contracted a non-contagious bacteria called Kindilobia. It's easy to detect in the early stages and can be treated in a few hours. But it's in the late stages right now. I can't figure out how it got past us." 

"The boy doesn't have a normal immune system," Tyr reminded her. 

"Correct, but that still doesn't mean we couldn't have seen it before the treatment time. He would have had it back when he was..." Trance glanced over at Aegis, "back when I was monitoring other specific health concerns. There's no way I could have missed it." 

"Well we'll just cure it now. Let's get him to med deck. You," she pointed to Aegis. "Dylan'll be here shortly. Stop him and tell him to go to Medical." Aegis looked like he would protest, but decided against it and left. Beka motioned for Tyr to help her. Trance bit her lip. 

"It's too far in. The bacteria eat a person from the inside out, and too many of his internal organs are damaged. He'll be dead in minutes." Beka shook her head. 

"There must be some other way, he's lived too long to die now." 

"There is another way," Trance said after a moment's hesitation. She didn't have much time now. "I need you and Tyr to leave the room." 

"No, I'm staying with him." Beka grabbed Harper's hand and held it in her own. Tyr refused to budge. 

"Trust me Beka." Trance placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. Beka only gripped Harper tighter. 

"I made him a promise that I'd be with him through all his hardest times. I'm not leaving him." 

"Beka he'll die if you don't get out of here!" Trance was shaking her now. The young female couldn't understand why Beka was being so stubborn. 

"I said no!" Trance started to open her mouth again, when the entire room froze. Beka was motionless; the tears running down her face stayed were they had fallen. Trance's hands were griping Beka, the muscles tensed. Tyr was still as well, but it wasn't much of a change for the Nietzschean. Loki appeared next to his sister and tapped her on the shoulder. Trance found she could move now. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" She grabbed her twin. "Did you do this?!" 

"I knew that you weren't allowed to remember why this is happening, but I never thought it would be so amusing." Loki pulled out of her grip, walking over to Tyr and pinching him on the nose while making honking noises. 

"Will you take something serious for once? My friend is dying." Loki turned away from his source of amusement to his sister. 

"You have a choice dear sister. Beka and Tyr are not leaving this room no matter what you do, and your pet human will be dead in two minutes unless you save him." 

"It's against our rules to use those abilities in front of other species and you know it." Trance glowered at Loki. "I'm in enough trouble. This would make me an exile." 

The purple male shrugged. 

"It's your choice. Save your pet and lose contact with your people. Stay one of us and lose your pet." 

"What are you getting out of this?" Trance demanded of him. 

"If you knew it'd make the decision too easy. You have 120 seconds to decide." Loki gave her a small wave before melting into a wall. Time started again. 

"Did you hear me? I said no!" Beka caressed Harper's face. "Just hold on. Just a little while longer..." Trance felt Tyr's gaze upon her. 

"Help him already girl!" 


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers.  

-------------------- 

Trance stared at Harper, thoughts racing through her mind a mile a minute. Memories of her family, her parents, siblings, cousins and the thought of never seeing them again was almost too much to bear. 

But she also remembered times with Harper. How he had protected her when Gerentex had captured the two of them. She thought about all the times his jokes had made her feel better. She hadn't been able to stay mad even when he killed poor Walter. Harper was already the best father she had ever known and their child wasn't even born yet. 

Harper was her friend. He had lived longer than anyone had expected him to and made so much of his life. She couldn't let him down now. 

Shaking, Trance knelt down and bent her fingers like claws. She plunged both hands into Harper's chest and began to concentrate. She could faintly hear Beka screaming and feel Tyr trying to pull her away, but the young alien was unmovable. Trance felt the diesease flow up into her, but she contained it to her hands and arms so it wouldn't hurt the precious package she was carrying. When it was all expelled from Harper's body, she removed her fingers and fell back, watching as her hands went silver and then returned to white as her own special antibodies finished the impurities off. 

Beka was checking Harper over, but the only signs that Trance had done anything was the fact that Harper was no longer a pasty color and his breathing had evened. There was also the fact that ten small golden circles shown where Trance had pushed her fingers through his skin. Beka looked up at Trance, disbelief on her face. 

"What the hell did you just do?" Trance kept her eyes on the floor, trying so hard not to cry. 

"I just lost my family." 

"Was this worth it?" Trance looked over to Harper who was slowly waking up. He would never know what she had done for him, she would make sure Beka and Tyr kept it a secret. Trance couldn't let him know. He would tell her she had made the wrong choice that his life was meaningless compared to her family. 

"Yeah," she sighed. "It was worth it." 

"Well it damn well should have been. You gave me up for it." Trance's jaw fell open as Tyr walked over to Beka. The two melted into each other and formed a distinct purple man. 

"Surprise!" 

"You little..." Trance's memories were returned. "I failed. Oh no, you can't take him, I won't let you." 

"Relax." Loki stay down next to his younger sibling. "You passed with flying colors." 

"But I gave up my family for Harper..." 

"Do I have to explain everyting? Ok, one of these days your kid might end up in real trouble, especially with that one's genes." Loki motioned to Harper. "So you'll have the choice of exposing some of yourself, and dangerous levels at that, or letting your child get hurt or even die. You've just proved that you'll give up even your family for those you love." 

"So I passed?" 

"Just this part." Trance's smile dissapeared. "Hey, you don't get off that easy." 

"What about the others?" 

"Well, I was playing the parts of Beka and Tyr, and I got rid of the AI for ya although you really shouldn't forget those things in the future," he chastized her. 

"My friend was dying." 

"Excuses, excuses," he teased her. "And I got rid of that other guy before you cured your golden retriever. He won't remember anything." 

Harper let out a small moan and turned over. He caught a glance of a purple tail. 

"Trance? Did you come back?" The engineer's gaze travelled upwards, but a golden version greeted him instead of the purple one he had been expecting. 

"What do you mean? I've always been here." Harper shook his head, wincing slightly, and allowed Trance to help him up. 

"What happened?" 

"You caught a nasty bacteria. I gave you something, and it's fine now," Trance told him. 

"I wouldn't say it's fine..." Harper tucked his head between his legs. "How about you and junior?" 

"You gave us a scare, but I'll be fine." Trance helped him up when he was ready. Aegis entered the room as Harper stood on shaky legs. 

"What happened to you?" 

"I got a little sick. Happens a lot when you've got an immune system that works as well as the Dragans shoot." Harper made a face. "Where did you go?" 

"I..." Aegis faltered. 

"Didn't you go to find Dylan? You wanted to talk with him about some battle tatics." Trance said everything with a straight face, only hoping that he would believe her. 

Aegis looked like he was abut to say something, but then decided against it. 

"I'll go find Captain Hunt then." Harper raised and eyebrow as the Nietzschean left the room. 

"What?" Trance noticed the look he gave her. 

"Did you do that to him?" 

"No. Why do you think that?" she asked innocently. Harper shook his head. "Let's get you to medical." 

------------ 

Harper whistled as replaced the ceiling panel, being released from Medical just a few hours earlier with a clean bill of health. 

"There we go. As good as new." He turned and jumped back, grabbing for his gun. 

"Nice to meet you too." Harper did a double take as he glanced over his visitor, but his hand stayed firmly on his weapon. 

"Your one of Trance's people." 

"Her twin brother actually." Loki grinned. Talking to humans was so much fun. He could almost see why his sister was obsessed with this one...blondie composed himself well after getting over the inital shock of meeting a purple male. 

"What do you want with me?" Past the pleasentries and straight to the point, not bad. 

"Who said I wanted anything with you?" 

"Oh, so you finally drop by two years _after_ your sister joins this crew, and all you want is a cuppa tea and some polite conversation?" He was smart too, although the attitude left something to be desired. 

"Blondie today is your lucky day." Loki threw his tail around Harper's shoulders. "How would you like to play a little game with me?"


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers.  

-------------------- 

Harper stepped away from Loki, immediately not trusting that look on Trance's brother's face. 

"What the hell are you talking abou..." Harper stopped when he heard yelling coming from down the hallway. He turned towards the sound and completely forgot about Loki. Tyr and Aegis were leading a struggling Brendan down Andromeda's corridors. 

"Brendan?!" Harper yelled out to his cousin. 

"Cuz!" Brendan tried to pull away, but his captors held on tighter and dragged the human out of Harper's sight. 

"Brendan!" He was alive! Harper couldn't believe it. And on the Andromeda! Harper ran after the three, catching up just in time to see the Nietzschean's pulling his cousin into Medical. 

I never knew Med Deck was so close, Harper mused before barging in. 

"Is there something you wanted Mr. Harper?" Harper noticed everyone turned to him when Dylan spoke. 

"Yeah. What's going on?" 

"We caught this intruder just a few minutes ago," Aegis motioned to Brendan. "He apparently high jacked a cargo ship that was delivering parts to my ship, and then snuck onboard the Andromeda." 

"Andromeda alerted me to his presence, and Mr. Relathir and Tyr was kind enough to escort him here." Dylan remained calm, but Harper thought he saw something in the older man's eyes. 

"I was just coming to visit Seamus, honestly. He's my cousin. Aren't ya Shay?" Brendan was nervous, but Harper couldn't help but notice with a hint of amusement that his eyes were filled with wonderment at Andromeda's interior. Harper was going to have one hellava time showing it off. After he got them out of this situation, of course. 

"Yeah, this is Brendan, my cousin. You can let him go." Tyr glanced over at Dylan. Harper only shifted nervously, but alarms where blaring in his skull. Didn't Tyr and Dylan already know Brendan? Why had they taken him prisoner? And why to Medical? 

"What's up guys?" Nobody wanted to say it, so Brendan did instead. 

"They got to me Cuz." 

"I don't understand." But he did. Harper just didn't want to admit it. 

"The Magog." Aegis and Tyr weren't guarding Brendan. They were holding him up because he couldn't stand anymore. 

"Well we can fix it, we have the stuff onboard." Hope blossomed for a second, but died. Despite knowing it was too late, Harper stiffly went to a nearby table where his old inhaler was stored. Dylan grabbed his shoulder. 

"Perhaps you should leave," he said softly. 

"Why did you come?" Harper brushed Dylan off and turned towards Brendan. 

"Ironically, I wanted you to know I had survived the Nietzscheans." Brendan chuckled, which turned into a racking cough. Harper didn't know whether to hate him for putting him in this position or smile at Brendan's strength. 

"Dylan..." Andromeda's holo appeared nearby. 

"Harper, you should go now." Dylan pulled out his forcelance as Tyr and Aegis laid Brendan down nearby. 

"No." Brendan sat up. "Cuz, you know I hate to ask, but you're family, and you're the only one I trust. Plus, you promised." 

Harper pulled in a shaky breath, nodding. 

"Yeah, I did promise." He took out his blaster and held it to Brendan's head, his hand trembling as he turned the safety off. Shutting his eyes as the whine reverberated in his head. Oh god, he could hear them now. Crawling in his cousin's stomach. Brendan grabbed his cousin's free hand. 

"I'll put in a good word for you Shay." 

"Just don't take all the hot ones." Brendan laughed. Harper pulled the trigger. 

"Well done!" Harper opened his eyes and glanced around the room. It wasn't Med Deck, just some old storage room. Loki was sitting up on some crates where Brendan had just been laying. 

"What just happened?" Harper was still shaking. Loki threw him a cloth, making the young human realize that not only was he covered in sweat, but tears were trekking down his face. 

"I wish I could stay and chat with ya Blondie, but I've got work to do for the next test." Loki dashed out the door. Harper blinked, still stunned. But he was able to find his footing soon enough. His eyes flashed fire as he charged out, bent on strangling Loki with the alien's own tail. 

Loki wasn't anywhere to be found. And a quick check with Andromeda proved not only was the purple being gone, but also that Andromeda thought Harper needed a visit to the Med Deck. 

"No thanks." Harper didn't know how long it'd be before he could walk onto Medical without starting to shake. 

"Alright Harper, the evil witch of the west isn't around. Fine. It's just time to follow the yellow brick road then."


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers.  

-------------------- 

Harper found Trance in Hydroponics. He took a few moments to calm himself the rest of the way down, knowing that yelling at Trance wasn't going to get them anywhere. Plus, there was their little addition to think about. 

"First I think I'm going crazy seeing a certain purple brother, and now you're in here like old times." He shook his head, joining her by some rather beautiful plants he was sure she could name in an instant. 

"Loki visited you already?" Trance didn't attempt to conceal the surprise in her voice. Harper raised an eyebrow. 

"So you know about this?" 

"A little. I don't know as much as Loki does, that is." She began to notice the tension in Harper's body. He looked a little sick. "What did he do to you?" 

"Oh nothing. Well unless you count the fact that I saw my cousin onboard the Andromeda, and he just happened to be infested with Magog larvae, something I have previously had a bad experience with. Oh, and not only was I not in time to save him, but I was the only one that could kill him because we made a stupid pact back on earth that if one of us was ever infested, the other one would make sure they never hatched." Harper allowed himself to draw in a shaky breath. "But otherwise, it was nothing." 

"I'm so sorry," Trance said quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't know it'd be this bad." 

"Trance, what's going on?" Harper was trembling lightly under her fingertips. She sighed and pulled him closer. 

"It's called The Test," she explained. "When one of my species goes through the pregnancy procedure, they must also past a test. The test consists of a certain number of challenges that are presented to the parents to be to see if they are ready to take care of a child. The number and types are dependent on the guardians. If we both pass, our child stays with us. If one of us fails, we have sort of a restrain against that parent. If we both fail, the restrain is against both of us." 

"Restrain?" Harper had been listening attentively for once. "That doesn't sound good." 

"We are not allowed to go near the child...ever." She looked down at her boots. "If it's just one of us, that parent will be forced to leave the Andromeda and the child. If it's both, then our child is sent to my species where they will raise him." 

"Well like hell if I'm going to let them take my child from me," Harper said vehemently. 

"Well all we have to do is pass our tests," Trance shrugged. "Of course, when the next test begins, we'll both forget everything about this. You won't remember this conversation, your last challenge, or even who and what Loki is. The same goes for me as well." 

"What ever happened to true and false on a written flexi?!" The young man jumped up and began to pace. "You've gone through your first test?" Harper stopped in midstep. "It wouldn't have anything to do with me waking up from that bacteria?" 

"You were dying." Trance pulled her knees to her chest, suddenly looking very the young purple girl she had once been. "Loki had put a deadly disease in you, and I had to choose between saving you and keeping my family. You can guess which one I chose." 

Harper was stunned. She had picked him over her family? 

"Trance..." He just stared at her. "Trance, you shouldn't have done that." 

"I knew you would say that." A tiny smile tugged at her lips. "That's why I didn't want to tell you at first, that is, before I learned it was a test. Don't worry Harper. I didn't lose my family. Just like you didn't actually kill Brendan." 

"Right." Trance notice he didn't seem convinced. "What did that have to do with parenting?" 

"It showed that even under extreme circumstances, you could still carry out promises. It means more than some think." 

"Don't I know." Harper wrapped his arms around his stomach. 

"I'm sorry you have to go through this, but it's a custom among my people. And it's believed that if you can survive not only the tests, but also the aftermath of them, then you will be strong enough to care for one of our kind. It's really..." Trance stood up suddenly. Harper turned around, following her gaze. Loki grinned. 

"It's time." 

-------------------- 

"As you can see, the Commonwealth's principles apply to all species. Even Nietzscheans." Dylan handed Alexander a flexi. Andromeda noted the way Aegis glanced it over, placing it aside with other facts Dylan had asked her to keep of the Nietzschean. Like how his personality had changed as he encountered each member of the crew. 

"The old Commonwealth made the same mistakes; signing a treaty with the Magog was not a bright move. It brought about their downfall." Alexander wasn't the best of his pride, but he knew what to ask. It seemed...rehearsed almost. 

"And as you can see, I'm not out to make peace with the Magog," Dylan replied. "In fact, that's one of the main purposes of rebuilding this Commonwealth. In less than two years, the Magog will have restored their worldship and be coming to wreak havoc on all of known space. If you want to protect your people, your wives and children and family, signing the charter is your best option for survival." 

"And what about your crew?" Aegis spoke for the first time since entering the room. "You're ship was originally meant to hold over four thousand beings, and you are now reduced to 5. Why haven't you taken on any more crew?" 

"Will all due respect, Mr. Relathir, the universe has changed in three hundred years. It's...hard to tell who I can and can't trust. And you've met most of my crew?" Aegis nodded. "Well then, you should know just how well they can take care of this ship." 

"One of your crew is pregnant," Aegis pointed out. 

"A matter that hasn't interfered with her production yet," Dylan countered. 

Before the conversation could continue, Andromeda's hologram appeared between the three of them, facing Dylan. 

"Dylan, I hate to interrupt, but you're needed in Hydroponics." The look on her virtual face told him he better go, and go quick. 

"Excuse me, I'll be a few minutes. You're welcome to anything at the bar until I come back." Dylan walked calmly to the hallway, and then sprinted as soon as he heard the door behind him close. "Rommie, what's going on?" 

"You're not going to believe it."


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers.  

-------------------- 

"I want my caretaker!" Dylan entered into Hydroponics, stopped, and then turned to leave. 

"Dylan!" Harper whimpered as he saw him retreating. The captain sighed and turned back around. 

Harper and Trance were in the middle of a group of whining, babbling perseid children. The blue youngsters clung to the two beings, not understanding how they got there or where the nice grownups that always took care of them were. Upon hearing Harper shout, four of the small beings rushed and grabbed a hold of Dylan's legs. They began to ask questions. 

"Who are you?" 

"Where are we?" 

"Why aren't you blue?" 

"Do you think that we may one day develop a technology that will make slipstream obsolete. Hulen has this theory..." 

"Rommie!" The hologram appeared in front of her captain. "What the hel..." Trance glared at him. "Do you know what's going on here?" 

"I'm sorry Dylan, I don't. They just all...appeared." The AI looked around, extremely puzzled. "I count 34 of them, between the ages of 2 and 6, no sign of adults." 

"Hey!" Harper tried prying his nanowelder away from one child. Upon doing so, another gripped his magnetic field calibrator and took it back to his friends. They began to tear it apart, examining the pieces inside. Dylan watched the scene with amusement, before one tried taking his forcelance. 

"Andromeda," Dylan grabbed the lance back and shook his finger at the child. She burst out in tears. "Where's Beka and Tyr?" 

"Tyr is currently in the gym. Beka is on command." 

"Good. Have Beka contact Sinti and tell them what's happened. And get Tyr to help us move these children somewhere safer." He walked over and plucked a perseid off of Trance who was climbing up her to get at the deadly blades she held over her head. "And I think you better get your avatar down here as well." 

--------------- 

"Most. Annoying. Children. Ever." Harper stared at the door of the brood's quarters. Well one of them. They had actually used five rooms to stick all 34 children in. 

"They weren't that bad." He turned his gaze upon Trance, who found herself also at the attention of Rommie, Tyr, and Dylan. "Ok they were annoying, but they are very young." 

"What did Sinti have to say about it?" Tyr asked Dylan. 

"According to Andromeda, they have no idea how 34 children escaped from the government caretakers, but they're glad that they're all safe and sound. We just have to transport them all back to Sinti." He rubbed his face. 

"Which means we're stuck with these kids for three whole days." Harper massaged his temples. "I can already feel the aches and pains." 

"It'll be good parenting practice," Trance pointed out, feeling oddly familiar upon saying so. 

"Yeah yeah yeah. At least they're down for the night." He yawned. "Sleep doesn't sound too bad right now." 

"Sounds good to me as well," Trance agreed. 

"You two head off to bed. Andromeda will watch the perseids. I've got to go talk to our Nietzschean guests about the change in plans." Dylan looked worn out as he turned and left, Rommie following behind. Tyr shook his head. 

"A litter of perseid just suddenly appearing. What will be next?" He nodded a good night to Harper and Trance before leaving. 

Back in Harper's quarters, Trance was pulled out of her lesson when she heard Harper yell out. Sitting up, the golden alien found the room full of little perseids. 

"Help!" Harper cried out again as he was buried under a swarm of blue skin. Trance reached out to grabbed him, but the children bounced onto her bed and began to curl up. She realized with surprise that they were doing the exact same thing to Harper. 

"I'm so sorry. I locked the doors," A miniature hologram of Andromeda appeared and sat on one of Trance's knees, "but one of them had...a little help." A six year old handed Harper his nanowelder. "I can send my avatar to help retrieve them." 

"You little..." He gave up and and looked at Trance wearily. "Most of them have fallen asleep, and I really don't want to get up." 

She smiled. 

"It's fine with me," she said. Harper fell back onto his pillow, which he found he was now sharing. He shrugged, and then fell back into a deep sleep. Trance took one more glance at him, thinking of how cute the picture of Harper and 8 little blue humanoids curled together looked, before laying amongst her own charges and going back to her teaching.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers.  

-------------------- 

"No Hulen, I don't-" 

"I'm Yaedek." 

"Sorry." Harper sighed, trying to figure out how the caretakers could somehow tell all the little blue aliens apart. "No Yaedek, I don't think that messing with the slipstream drive is a such a good idea." 

"But I think that-" 

"You must be 15 years of age to enter the slipstream drive without an adult," Harper ran over and pushed a group away from a circuit board they had managed to open. "And you must be that old to work on one as well." 

"It doesn't say that in any handbook I've read," one helpful 4-year old pointed out. 

"It's in the Harper Handbook, written by Seamus Harper." Harper pointed to himself. "I have the power to change any and all rules, and they will be followed or else enforced." 

"I want to see this handbook to make sure it's been approved by the proper authorities." Yaedek crossed his arms. Harper just about pulled out his hair. 

"Why don't you go play with somebody else?" he asked the 18 children bouncing around his quarters. 

"But you know so much stuff! We wanna learn!" Harper groaned, wishing they'd just disappear. Two more days until they reached Sinti. The first day had been hell. 

The Perseids had annoyed everyone, but they seemed especially attached to Trance and Harper. The crew believed it was because Harper was the genius engineer, and Trance was something interesting that the children had never seen before. Harper had requested Rommie to help out, but the children had practically ripped her apart by the time he had come back with some entertainment for them. She had stayed as far from them as she possibly could since then. 

"Where's Tyr with lunch?" Frenas tugged at Harper's pants. 

"That's a good question. Where is the big lug?" 

"Big lug!" Frenas ran around, shouting the nickname. "Big lug! Tyr's a lug, Tyr's a lug!" 

"Shhhh...Stop that!" Harper tried to call him down, but the rest of the children had joined in the chant. 

A scream came from across the room. Harper looked up to see a rather large cart falling over into a group of the perseids. He dashed across room and grabbed theshelves of the packed cart, finding it was a lot heavier than he anticipated. The children dashed away from him, but a gauss gun Harper had been working on fell from the top of the shelf, hitting one on the back of the head. He went down, a few steps from getting out of the range of the falling cart. 

"Somebody help him!" Harper yelled out to the other children, but they all stood back in shock, a few crying. He strained with the effort to hold the thing up, but knew that if he didn't let go soon, his arms would give. He'd be hurt, possibly crushed with the child. 

The load had suddenly become lighter. Harper glanced to his left to see Tyr pushing against the cart. 

"Go!" the Nietzschean yelled. Harper didn't have to be told twice. He scooped up the fallen child and ran out of the way as fast as he could. Once Tyr saw everyone was out of the area, he let go and ducked to the side, almost getting his leg caught. He looked from the cart, to Harper, and back to the cart. 

"What?" Harper looked around. "Is there something on my face?" 

"How'd you hold that up boy? Even I wouldn't have lasted more than an hour against that, and you don't have nearly the strength I do." Tyr stared at the cart as if it would unlock some hidden mystery. 

"Gee thanks." He shrugged. "I dunno, maybe all that eating healthy for those 4 and a half months paid off." He didn't mention to Tyr that he thought he had seen a purple hand gripping the side of the cart. The big guy would only give him a lecture on his obsession with the wrong kinds of women. "We need to get him to medical." 

"I can do that." Rommie dodged as three tykes jumped at her. She gingerly took the injured one from Harper. "Dylan and Tyr need to round up the ones that escaped. Tyr left the door open when he rushed in." 

"And had I stopped to consider it, Harper and that child you are holding may not be in as good as shape as they are now." Tyr crossed his arms stubbornly. 

"You're forgetting to thank me for telling you what was going on," Rommie teased him. 

"How many and are the tracing devices we put on them working?" Harper interupted. 

"Five and only for three of them." Rommie smiled, walking quickly out of the room. "Good luck. Dylan's already started." 

"Their lunches are outside." Tyr patted Harper on the shoulder. "I'll hurry back." 

Harper looked around the room, the most of the litter still scared from seeing their friend almost die. He sighed and started telling them a story to calm them down. 

The first three were easy enough to find. It took another hour to find and hold on to the other two. Tyr came back, the last one tucked tightly under one arm. 

"He bites," Tyr growled, holding up one arm covered with teeth marks. 

"Yeah, Frenas will do that." Harper showed his own rewards for trying to punish the children as Tyr put the little guy down. 

"By the way," Tyr said casually, "big lug?" 

"Heh. Children and their imaginations." Harper backed away as Tyr smiled ferally at him. "Tyr, it was a joke, honestly." 

An hour later, Rommie returned with the formerly injured child to find Harper tied up with a conducting coil; the perseids were decorating his clothing, face, and hair with finger paints while Tyr read a book nearby.


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers.  

-------------------- 

Trance and Beka had taken their group to Hydroponics. Beka was amazed at how well behaved the children were. It was a complete change from when she had them to herself or with another member of the crew. Trance was a natural with children, able to be stern but fair and fun all at the same time, gaining a respect from the bunch. 

"This is a Coralanite Medigintas," she pointed under water to a ruby plant that looked like the petals and leaves had been torn to shreds. "It comes from Lonthin, a small aquatic world in the Henapute system. When ground into a paste and mixed with other ingredients, it forms a gel used to cure Triangulum Measles." One child raised his hand. "Yes Jineta?" 

"What would happen if it was taken out of water?" 

"Good question." He smiled proudly. "The Coralanite would die in under thirty minutes due to the lack of fresh water." Seeing there were no other questions, Trance moved the group onto the next section. Beka was smiling, thinking of what a breeze this would be, when Trance turned to look at her. Beka understood immediately, and stepped out of the way as Trance walked hurriedly back towards the way they had come. 

"Um, children, why don't we go back to my quarters?" She winced at the unanimous groan. "I have some music we can listen to and a flight simulation program you guys can play with." That cheered the children right up. They started bouncing again, running towards the crew quarters. One of the older perseid's poked Beka on the leg. 

"Is Trance going to be ok?" 

"Yeah, she's just a little sick. But Trance is hard to get rid of." Beka winked before leading the kid to the rest of his friends. 

------------- 

Trance splashed some cold water on her face and took a few deep breaths. She felt much better. She wasn't far enough along to really be nauseous; the baby had actually called her for attention needs of it's own. 

"And this isn't even the toughest part." She sighed, patting her stomach before exiting her quarters and walking towards Beka's. 

"Please come talk to me. Your constant observing is annoying." Aegis stepped out from his area around the corner and matched step with Trance. 

"You're very observant yourself I see. So how are the little ones doing? I would help out, but they don't seem to take to me, and with all the negotiations going on..." 

"Which you seem to attend with frequency, although your opinion is not needed there." Trance's statement didn't falter him. 

"My dear, all opinions are needed in these matters," he said winking, and then changed the subject. "This crew is interesting, almost remarkable in itself. A group of misfits traveling in one of the most powerful warships in the known worlds to save a lost dream. It sounds too good to be true." 

"Like the bad, good things can come without warning," Trance spoke as if she knew. Aegis smiled. 

"You intrigue me most. Tell me," he looked her over, "what species are you? Where do you come from? What are your goals?" 

"Something you couldn't pronounce. From my home. Honorable to me," she replied without a moment's hesitation. Aegis was amused. 

"And if I were to ask Captain Hunt these questions about you, would he know any more?" 

"Dylan has no reason not to trust me. I've helped his mission many times before and have been a loyal friend to the rest of the crew." She began walking faster. Aegis easily kept up. 

"That's the problem with your captain, he trusts too much." Aegis shook his head. "A golden creature he knows nothing about and a Nietzschean on board? And who knows what the rest of the crew may be thinking." 

"Well we all have our secretes, don't we Mr. Felican?" She smiled mischievously at him. Aegis raised an eyebrow. 

"Maybe you are worth keeping around," he said after a stunned pause. "Have you told your captain yet?" 

"I trust Dylan to put two and two together. He hasn't survived this long on my or anyone else's luck alone." Trance stopped them outside of Beka's room. "And please start acting a bit like yourself. That pleasant attitude is very un-warrior like. I won't even go into how un-Nietzschean it seems." 

"I'm glad you agree." Aegis walked away without another word. 

--------------------- 

"De camp town ladies come to me, do-da, do-da. De camp town ladies are naughty, oh da-do-da-dey!" Harper squirted some shampoo into his hand and began washing his hair. Giggling could be heard coming from his quarters. The perseids wouldn't sleep anywhere else. Trance and Beka were watching them while Harper showered. He'd take over while Trance got ready and then they'd start the third day. The last day, tomorrow they would drop off the lost litter and then it was complete freedom! Funny how that didn't seem as enjoyable as he thought it would. Especially since yesterday. 

"Come on out!" He scrubbed his scalp harder. Beka was going to go for another round of "Tease the Poor Engineer" if he didn't get this blue paint out of his hair. He really didn't want to hear another cluster of Rommie Worship jokes. 

The giggling got louder, almost as if it was in the same room as him. In fact, it sounded like it was _very_ much in the same room. Harper opened the shower door a crack to see the end of his pants just barely make it out of the 'fresher before the door closed. He jumped out, slamming the stall door behind him, and looking around wildly. 

The children had taken every towel, every piece of clothing he had brought in, and even the bathroom rug. He was stranded, absolutely nothing to cover himself in. With nothing else to do, Harper tried to jump back in the shower stall. 

"Oh freakin' great!" He had slammed it closed so hard it was jammed. He prayed for a miracle, but it didn't happen, so he went to plan B. 

"Andromeda unengaged privacy mode." 

Andromeda's miniature hologram appeared sitting on the sink. She looked up at Harper, and then quickly away. 

"Harper, what the hell is going on? Why did you call me? And in here?!" The holo stood up, trying to be stern. It was hard when she couldn't look at him. 

"Oh you know, just wanted some company," he retorted. "The little spawn stole my clothing, towels, and anything I could use to get out of here!" 

Andromeda did an internal sweep of the bathroom, and sure enough, she found Harper wasn't lying. 

"Do you want me to have Trance and Beka get something for you?" she asked, feeling circuits pop as she barely held in her laughter. 

"Rommie no!" His mind raced. "Just have a bot come in with something, anything. And make up an excuse." 

"What excuse can I come up with to have a Maria go to the 'fresher door with clean clothing?" 

"You've got a brain the size of a planet, think of something. And hurry," he pleaded. 

The hologram disappeared, leaving Harper alone. He didn't know how long had passed, but someone eventually knocked on the door. 

"Harper?" Oh great, it was Trance. "Harper, you're wasting the hot water, and I want to get cleaned up." 

"Give me just a few more minutes," he replied. 

"What if I get queasy again?" 

"Go next door," he snapped. 

"Harper you're being mean. Now open the door!" She banged on it. "Harper, don't make me open it myself." 

"Trance..." he started. But another voice interrupted him. 

"Miss Gemini?" Harper recognized the voice belonging to Frenas. Oh no. 

"Frenas, I'm a bit busy," she said. "Can't it wait?" 

"But I want to know who this is." Harper heard silence, then Trance stifling a giggle. 

"It's from an old earth game. His name is Pac Man." Harper moaned, putting his arms on the sink and then burying his head in them. 

"Where did you get those?" 

"From Mr. Harper." Frenas answered proudly. 

"Ah, well, why don't you just give those to me, and could you please have all of Harper's other clothing returned to me?" Harper heard tiny footsteps running away, and then running back. 

"Thank you." Trance knocked on the door. "Harper?" Small giggle. "I have your clothing." 

"Trance, I have nowhere to hide. The shower door is jammed." 

"Harper, you've visited Med deck more times than I can count. Believe me, it's nothing new." That made Harper moan louder. "Fine then." Harper yelled, standing straight up as Trance came in without any warning. She hand her hands over her eyes, which Harper was grateful for. He was blushing furiously. She tossed in his clothing and then stepped back out and closed the door. 

Harper hurriedly dressed and came out of the bathroom. He could tell that Beka and Trance had been laughing. 

"Alright, enough. It wasn't that funny." He was still red to the roots of his hair. 

"You're right." Beka bit down on her lip. "But it still answers the age old question. I'm not surprised you're the boxers type." 

"And I think the Pac Man on them was...cute," Trance's shoulders were shaking. 

"It was very well placed," Beka finished with a completely straight face. Which crumpled in a matter of seconds as she and Trance burst into laughter. The children were laughing as well, although more at their prank than getting the joke the two women shared. 

Harper sat down, still cross. Trance knew that Harper hardly ever stayed angry over a practical joke. In fact, she and Rev had played the exact same one on him when they were living on the Maru. They all had a good laugh a few hours later. 

The children didn't know that, though. Frenas looked near tears as he went over to Trance and whispered, "It was only a joke." 

"Oh, don't worry about it. Harper'll be fine in a few hours, you just wait." He and the others didn't look too sure. Hulen jumped up onto the bed and whispered something into Trance's ear. She smiled. 

"That is a great idea! And I know just how to do it. But we'll have to hurry. There's only today left." The children looked much happier. "So what's the plan?" 


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

As Trance predicted, Harper cheered up in just a few hours. The four crewmembers and the children were walking down the corridors towards the gym. They found the litter slept better if they wore themselves out with exercise. All of a sudden Harper let out a snort, his shoulders shaking from holding in laughter. 

"Um, are you ok?" Trance placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"I really should've picked a different pair of boxers," he said, still chuckling in-between words. "But at least it was better than wearing just a towel." 

Trance's eyes went wide, her jaw dropping, and she hit him hard on the arm. Harper ran away from her painful slaps, a few of the kids chasing him as he made his escape. Beka rolled her eyes as Trance went after them, Tyr looking on with puzzlement all over his face. 

The Perseids were satisfied with most games, but they really preferred the one that Harper had told them about. The children split into three different groups, each group getting into a circle. The one child walked around clockwise, tapping each of the others on the head and calling them duck. They would pick a random one and yelled out goose, then run as fast as they could around the circle. The "goose" had to try and catch the "runner" before the runner made it back to the goose's spot. If the goose caught the runner, the runner was stuck in the middle of the circle as the "egg" until another egg replaced him. To make the game more fun for the children, Harper also allowed the egg to get out if they could correctly answer a trivia question. Either way, the goose became the next runner and the game restarted. 

There was some dispute at first as to why there were ducks, gooses, and eggs, but Harper had just stated that's how the game worked. 

Beka was an egg at the moment while Harper sat in on his game. Tyr left to work out at these times, and Trance's group had left because Trance said she had a special surprise for all the children and would be switching the groups in-between the games so everyone had a chance to play and see the surprise. 

"So what's Trance showing you guys?" Harper whispered as his group switched with Trance's. The four-year old next to him giggled, but shook her head no. Harper pretended to pout, but then felt the top of his head patted and heard Hulen yell out goose. He jumped up and raced around the circle, but Hulen beat him. Harper walked around the circle, tapping little bald heads until he was near Jineta. 

"Now who shall my next victim be..." he thought out loud teasingly. "Goose!" She jumped up, running as fast as her little legs could go. Harper purposely slowed his pace halfway around the circle. Jineta pounced on him. 

"You're an egg!" she cried delightfully. 

"Again..." Harper hung his head, walking into the circle. He winked at Beka who was looking on, receiving a smile. 

-------------------- 

The crew minus Rommie and the Lupus representatives stood outside the hangar, waiting for the Perseid ship to dock. The thirty-four little terrors ran between legs, grabbed onto clothing, and asked non-stop questions. Harper was sitting cross-legged in the middle of a batch, continuing to answer them. After three days he assumed they would've been questioned out. He assumed wrong. 

"The ship is docking" Andromeda's voice chirped. Dylan looked gratefully towards the doors. 

"Children," Trance spoke up. Everyone turned to face her. "I think it's time." 

"Time for what?" Harper looked around nervously as sixty-eight eyes fell upon him. Frenas stepped forward, his hands behind his back. 

"We made this for you yesterday." He held out a flexi. Harper eyed it warily, gently taking it as if it might bite him, then pressed the button to activate it. He looked at the information, and stood up quickly. 

"Oh my god!" He looked at the children. "Where did you find this?" 

"We went to your machine shop and took readings and measurements, and then compared them with modern ships," Hulen piped up. "We would've done the whole ship, but there wasn't enough time." 

"What is it?" Dylan asked curiously. 

"They drew out schematics for parts of my X-1. This will save me at least four or five days of work!" Harper just stared at the flexi in disbelief. 

"They're just rough outlines for you to build off of," Frenas added. 

"But still..." Harper was at a loss for words until Trance cleared her throat. "Oh, thank you." 

"There's more," she said, smiling. 

"More?" Tyr asked. 

"Only everyone has to stand together for this one." She directed them into a circle facing outwards, herself included. "Alright," Trance smiled at the children. "1...2...3!" 

On three every single perseid ran forward and hugged the group. Trance immediately returned the favor, while the rest of the group stood, stunned. Then Harper bent down, followed by Beka and Dylan. Trance gave Tyr the fish-eye until he sighed and followed suit. 

That's when the caretakers walked in. 

"Rekain!" Hulen broke away from Beka and ran towards his caretaker. This was the cue for the rest of the children to let go and run over to the five adult Perseids. 

"They weren't much trouble were they?" Rekain asked after counting heads. Harper still could not figure out how they told one blue orb for the next, but they apparently could. 

"Naw, we handled them pretty well," Dylan said for the group. 

"Speak for yourself," Beka said softly. Dylan had spent most of his time with Alexander and Aegis during the debacle. 

"Can we visit sometime?" Frenas asked his caretaker. 

"Maybe in awhile, Captain Hunt is very busy," he replied. "Thank you again for getting the children here safe and sound." 

"It was our pleasure," Trance said. The caretakers nodded and herded the litter back towards the ship. The children waved and said their good-byes. The entire crew stayed at the doors until the ship took off. 

--------------- 

"So..." Trance turned to Harper. 

"So?" 

"So admit it." She poked him. "They're not exactly the most annoying children ever." 

"I wouldn't say that." Trance let out an exasperated sigh. "I also wouldn't say they weren't some of the sweetest..." 

"I knew it!" She laughed. 

"So whose idea was all that?" he asked her. 

"Well they had the X-1 thing all planned out. But I added in that a group hug wouldn't be such a bad thing," she admitted. "After all, you're not the only one who had to put up with them." 

"Yeah yeah yeah. Although we still couldn't figure out just how they got here." Harper said, annoyed by the fact that there was yet another thing in the universe he didn't understand. "I mean, it was almost like..." 

"Magic?" Loki grinned, leaning against the wall. Trance stomped over to him, grabbing her brother by the collar and pushing him roughly back. 

"You involved children?!" Trance was furious. 

"I'm just following orders," he said, holding his hands up defensively. 

"One of them almost got killed!" Harper yelled, barely stopping himself from going over and laying in on the purple male. 

"And I helped you, remember?" Harper did remember the purple hand. "It was just to see how you would react with them; if any of the children became involved in serious danger, I was there to assist." 

"But children, Loki. If Andromeda had suddenly gotten in the middle of a battle, how would you have interfered? And never mind if Dylan would've been called to assist in one, he would have had to refuse!" Trance's eyes pleaded with her brother. "Never again." 

"I can't promise that. There are higher..." He was cut off when Trance slammed him back into the wall. 

"Make them see differently," she growled, then let him go and watched him drop to the floor. "Because they're going too far." She walked away without another word. 

Harper glared down at the injured alien. 

"Wanna help me up Blondie?" Loki asked. Harper continued glaring, his jaw clenched, before shaking his head and just turning away. 

"You passed by the way!" Loki shouted behind them, rubbing his neck. "You're welcome." 

----------------- 

"So the children have gone. Good, now we can get back to some real business," Alexander said as Aegis looked on. 

"Yes, I am very tired of playing around actually," Dylan replied, sitting down behind his desk and leaning back. "So Mr. Felican, are we going to do some serious talking?" 

"I just said we would," Alexander leaned across the desk. 

"I was talking to the Mr. Felican behind you," Dylan smiled, pointing to Aegis. Alexander opened his mouth to protest, but Aegis stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"Alexander, go for a walk." Alexander looked somewhat startled, but complied with his superior. Aegis sat down across from Dylan. 

"So how did you know?" he finally asked. 

"Observation and a really powerful warship," Dylan answered honestly. "You talked and watched my crew and myself to see if we could really do this. You asked the right questions, even acted according to their expectations so they might accept you and confide in you. And you thought that if we didn't know you were the final decision, we would act normally around you." 

"And did you? Or was it an act apparently better than mine?" the Nietzschean asked softly. 

"My crew," Dylan began, looking offended, "is my crew. They are what they are, and even I can't control or change them. I don't want to." 

"I can see why," Aegis agreed. "They have their faults, but you've come far. The question is, Captain Hunt, how much farther can you go?" 

"I can't answer that," Dylan shifted. "But I can tell you this. We would go a lot farther with some help." 

"We still have much to discuss." 

"By all means, let's start talking," he said. "One last thing. Why the change in names? You could have easily kept Felican and said that Mr. Relathir was coming to sign the charter." 

"Because I'm the one with the authority to sign it. Telling you someone else was would be outright lying." Aegis allowed a small smile. "Lying wouldn't be a good way to start a partnership." 

"But deceit is?" Dylan asked amused. 

"There's a fine line between many things Captain Hunt. I'd try not to overlook them." 

"I'll keep it in mind." 

----------------- 

"Trance, that's the third time tonight," Harper complained as she came back from the restroom. 

"Well excuse me if I just happen to be carrying your child," she snapped back, making Harper cringe. 

"It's not like I'm the one who's responsible for it," he mumbled, but she heard anyway. 

"Oh so now it's my fault?!" 

"What's going on?" Andromeda interrupted the two. 

"Nothing, we're just tired, Rommie." Trance rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. It had been two weeks and 3 days since the litter had gone home, and both parents-to-be were on edge waiting for the next test to start. Not only that, but Trance was in her fifth week and starting to show the signs. The only thing that had helped Harper through the ordeal was the knowledge those Nietzscheans were off his ship. Oh, and there was always the fact they had signed the charter, but either way they were gone. 

"Could you get me some mint ice-cream?" she asked the hologram. "Three scoops?" 

"That sounds good," Harper said. 

"Two ice-creams coming up," Andromeda said, sending some of her bots. 

"I'm sorry Trance," Harper said getting up to sit next to her. "I can't blame you for your bladder." 

"Damn straight," she joked, leaning against him. Harper wrapped his blanket around the both of them. "Thanks," she said, looking up as two Marias came with their food. 

"Want me to put in a holo?" he asked, handing her a bowl. 

"I want to watch that funny one of yours. You know, the one with the green guy that has a heart two-sizes too small," she smiled up at him. 

"The Grinch that Stole Christmas it is." Harper got up to put the disc in, then went back to his blanket, his ice cream, and his Trance. 


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

"Hey sis!" Loki yelled out, running to catch up with Trance. The moment she had spotted him, she had picked up her pace. 

"Leave, I'm still angry with you." Loki persisted still, and Trance finally gave up and let him walk beside her. 

"I gave you three whole weeks to calm down, what more do you want?" he asked, a little hurt. 

"I want you to get off this ship." Trance stopped and turned to face him. "I want you to stop these tests, I want to be left alone with my friends!" 

"Trance, you know I love you." Loki put an arm around her shoulder, Trance allowing him to pull her close. "I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't my job. And unlike some people, I want to live up to my name." 

"You don't understand what you're missing." She sighed. "It's time again, isn't it?" 

"Sorry," Loki said, then led her around the corner and into a nearby room. 

"Loki?" Trance stumbled back. "What're you doing here?" 

"Do I have a deal for you sis," he said cheerfully, but there was a hint of sadness lying under it. 

"A deal?" She raised an eyebrow. "What're you up to?" 

"Look at something for me, Sis." Loki pulled Trance over and turned her so she was facing a mirror. She glanced over her reflection, and then crossed her arms. 

"What should I see?" she asked. Anyone else would've thought Loki was crazy, but Trance knew otherwise. Things were not what they appeared. 

"The question is actually what do you see?" Trance rolled her eyes and peered closer at her reflection. Loki simply waited, knowing his sister was quick witted, and could often figure his tricks out. 

"I see a rather attractive female," she smiled, "with cream skin and golden brown highlights. She has red dreadlocks, done up in a rather intricate fashion with silver wraps that make it look like she has horns. She's young..." Trance paused, the smile fading. "No, she's old. Her body doesn't show it, but her face does. Her lips strain when they smile, almost like they aren't used to the practice. Lines from worry and stress that shouldn't be there adorn her face. And her eyes..." she took a deep breath. "Her eyes reflect too many bad memories." 

Loki placed his hand gently on the mirror, and then slowly took it away. The smooth surface began rippling until Trance's reflection faded into another one. The glass regained its solid form, showing an identical copy of Loki. Except it was a female. 

"Now what do you see?" he asked again. Trance gazed upon her younger self. 

"I see a female with soft purple skin. Her hair is short, blonde, and a little curled. She has this long tail the same color as her skin with a pointed tip. She looks very young. Playful, like a kid sister. She's so happy as if she has hardly any cares. And friends, she has plenty of friends who trust and love her." Trance reached out, trying to grasp her younger self, and maybe her other life with is. But her older reflection appeared back in front of her. 

"You miss her, don't you?" Trance nodded at her brother's question. "What if I told you I could bring her back?" 

"You could?" Trance turned away from the mirror to look him in the eyes. She could tell he wasn't lying, but there was something else there. "There's a catch." 

"The reason you are what you are, little sis, is because of the place you grew up in. You brought yourself back as this because it was needed," he explained softly. "In order to change you back, we'd have to go back before the transformation, and stop you from switching." 

"But that means the bad future will just play out again." Trance shook her head. "I'm not going to let that happen." 

"Not entirely true," Loki said. "I would just go back to that time, and in order to stop you from switching, I'd take your purple self from that place and force you back home until a few years passed. Your influence would no longer be on the Andromeda. That itself would keep the bad future from happening." 

"But Harper..." He shushed his sister. 

"I'll take care of Blondie for ya. But after that we leave them alone, and you get to go back to that fun, happy you, and everything is perfect." 

Trance turned back to the mirror, which was now split in two. One half showed her true reflection, the other showed her a younger Trance and a possible, maybe even brighter future? She stood, staring at them for a long time. 

"I...I can't," she whispered finally, turning away. 

"Excuse me?" Loki didn't want Trance to fail the test, but part of him had hoped she would. This offer he had for her was real, and it would be fulfilled upon her request. If she had accepted it, he could've had his little sister back. 

"I can't," Trance said, her voice stronger this time. "I can't leave them, even if they don't quite accept me right now. They're my friends. Abandoning them is wrong. And if go back, that means Harper and I never went through the process, and I lose our child. I can't sentence my baby to death because of my petty needs." She looked down at her feet. "I know you would want it differently, but you have to understand." 

"I do," Loki nodded. "And so you pass." 

Trance blinked a few times, then turned back to the mirror. It was covered in a fine film of dust, having not been used for months. 

"It would've been real, wouldn't it have?" she asked Loki as he started to quietly leave. 

"Yes," he said before walking out the door to find Harper. 

--------------------- 

"Heya Blondie!" Harper sat up fast, hitting his head on the on the top of the small tunnel he was working in. He yelped in pain, and then groaned when he saw a purple face peering down at him. 

"Go away." Harper didn't try and hide his anger. He slid back over to the panel he had been working on, shoving the parts and wires with a little more force than before. 

"Now that's no way to treat the uncle of your kid." Loki was still upset over the last test with Trance, and Harper was his target for letting of steam. The boy didn't let down. Harper pushed himself up, and stalked towards the purple alien. 

"You will not go anywhere near my child," Harper said low and dangerously. 

"Tsk, tsk, so rude..." Loki smiled as Blondie looked near the exploding point. "While this is so much fun, we have work to do." The male was even more pleased when Harper paled upon that remark. The engineer gathered himself quickly. 

"Fine then," he said. Loki was somewhat impressed, but brushed it off as he placed his hands over Harper's eyes. 

Harper felt the cold hands removed from his face, and realized he was in a meeting hall of some sort. But hadn't he just been... 

"Kyros Raghnall, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Dylan said, holding his hand out to the Nietzschean in front of him. Harper thought they had gotten rid of some Nietzscheans. As he observed his surroundings, he was in for more surprises. 

The entire crew was in a very fancy hall of some sort, including him! About six Nietzscheans were standing guard around the one Dylan was talking to. They all looked bored, except for Tyr who was keeping a watch as always, and Rommie who seemed to enjoy this stuff. Trance, to his amazement, was starting to show, but only a little. He felt his heart swell with pride. 

"So, you're interested in signing on?" Dylan was beaming. These guys must be important, Harper thought. 

"Actually," the leader made a ghost of a movement with his hand. But the crew of the Andromeda had grown up as smugglers, thieves, assains, and trained soilders. Everyone recognized the signal and scattered as the six guards opened fire. Tyr ducked behind a pillar and began to return their blasts, hitting several. But the guards had found cover as well. The fire continued back and forth. Harper could only watch as his other self tried to protect Trance, but couldn't get near her. Present Harper tried going after the Nietzscheans, but found that he was a ghost in this place, his limbs passing through whatever he touched. 

The fire ceased, and Harper realized that all but two of the traitors were dead. Trance peeked out from her spot behind a statue. In one last act of defiance, the Nietzschean who had called himself Kyros shot at her. His blast hit Trance in the throat. Harper watched her eyes go wide, and then as she collapsed. He heard his other self scream, and saw out of the corner of his eye as Tyr took out the one that fired, while Rommie ran forward to capture the other. The others ran over to his fallen goddess, trying to wake her up. Harper watched himself wait, but both knew that somehow this time was different. That she wasn't going to get up and walk away from this battle. Trance and his child were gone forever. 

A purple hand tugged him around, and as he spun the area turned back into Andromeda's corridors. A strange male of Trance's species was looking at him with horrified eyes. 

"You saw it, didn't you?" he asked wildly. Harper backed up. 

"Who are you? What just happened?" The engineer glanced around, dazed. 

"I'm Loki, Trance's older brother," Loki told him. "And you just had a glimpse of what Trance and I see. A possible future. One where she dies." 

Harper's mouth opened and closed like a fish before he could get anything out. 

"She dies? No...oh god no..." He clutched his stomach, falling to his knees. Loki knelt beside him. 

"It's just a possible future. But I don't want it to come true. Do you?" Harper shook his head. "Good, then you can help me." 

Loki pulled Harper up and led him through a doorway. They were in a dark, wooden room. Harper opened his mouth to comment, but Loki's cold hand clamped over his lips. A woman could be heard singing outside the door they had just come through, and instead of Andromeda's metalic smell, food wafted from it. Loki pulled Harper over to a crib in the middle of the room, motioning for him to look into it. Harper peered in, seeing a sleeping child, only one-year old, two at the most. A soft blanket of some animal skin covered his ivory skin, soft brown locks just starting to grow on his head. His blades had already come in. 

"That's the one. He's the one that kills Trance," Loki spat. Harper couldn't believe anything this beautiful and innocent would grow up into the people that haunted his dreams at night. 

"Do you want to stop the death of Trance, my sister, and your child?" Loki whispered, placing a blaster in Harper's hand. "Then you kill him."


	13. Chapter 13

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

Harper looked at the gun Loki had placed in his hand, back to the child, and then back to the gun again. He dropped the weapon, watching Loki swiftly catch with his tail before it before it could hit the ground. 

"Are you insane?" he hissed. "That's a child! I am not murdering an innocent baby." 

Loki snuck over and closed the door softly. The woman's singing was cut off as he turned back to Harper and held out the weapon again. 

"He would murder yours," was the other man's reply. Harper paced, angry at the universe for giving him yet another weight to bear on his shoulders. He finally stopped to glare at the calm alien. 

"You don't understand!" His voice was rising, despite the fact that the mother was nearby. "How can you ask me to become God and judge this child? It's not my place to decide if he's worthy to live or not! Of all the people in the freakin' universe, I am not the one qualified to do it!" 

Damn that door must be thick because even though he was yelling now, Harper didn't hear anyone coming to check the room. 

"What about all those you killed before?" Loki asked him. "Were you qualified then?" 

"That was different." Harper was pacing again. "It was self-defense. They would've killed me without another thought." 

"And that time at Witchhead?" That made Harper stop. "You were ready to condemn those hundreds of thousands of lives before you even knew that it was the way history would move." 

"Just shut up!" Harper tackled Loki, throwing his fist into the other's face. He pushed the stunned purple male against the wall. Loki whipped his tail around, snapping it against Harper's leg. It was like the leather whips the Ubers had used back home, and Harper bit down hard to keep from crying out. The distraction gave Loki the chance to use his tail on the unarmed man again, this time the human's forehead. Harper stumbled back, but years of conditioning and instinct kicked in, giving him the edge to get himself together for the next assault. 

When the tail came around, this time for his ankle, the engineer stepped down hard on the limb, causing Loki to scream in pain. At the same time he lunged forward and grabbed the purple hand holding the gun, twisting until the weapon was in his possession. Loki punched Harper in the stomach, making him stumble back, but the young man kept his foot on the tail, knowing if he let go he didn't have a chance. Loki yanked the tail, and Harper tumbled forward on top of the alien, both men crashing to the ground, Loki smacking his head on the hard floors. Now Harper had the weapon and the upper hand. He shoved the barrel under Loki's chin, aiming at the throat. His other hand groped and found the broken tail, which Harper gripped as hard as he could to make sure he wouldn't lose it this time. Loki winced, but didn't show any other signs of feeling pain from it. Harper straddled the purple alien's chest, resting his weight on the other's shoulders. 

"This deal is going to change," he said, breathing hard. Harper looked around wildly, listening to see if the mother had been alerted. But even the baby wasn't crying. It was like he was a ghost again. Loki took the chance to try and buck the human off, but Harper yanked on his tail and switched the safety off his blaster. The alien decided to stay put. 

"What makes you think I'm afraid of you Blondie?" he sneered. Blondie? Harper shook his head and winced from the movement. It sounded so familiar. "You've seen my sister come back from the dead before. I'm not much different." 

"Ya know Loki, I may not know what the hell you are, but I know smart doesn't cover it." Harper shifted, putting on more pressure. "You see, after watching that vision, possible future, whatever you guys call it, a thought crossed my mind. Why did Trance die? She's come back so many other times. And then it hit me. Like that." If Harper had a hand free, he might have snapped. "Every time Trance has died, she's been hit where exactly? The Rat hit her in the stomach. When Dylan hit her during the time with the Bokor, it was in the stomach. You get my point?" 

Loki nodded his head ever so slightly to indicate he did. 

"Well when I had that vision," Harper continued, "Trance wasn't hit in the stomach. She was hit in the throat. Now most species I know have most of their important organs spread throughout the body, but what if one species evolved in such a way that it contained all the important stuff in one place so that if it was hit anywhere else, they could just get up and walk away? I'm not a biologist or whatever, so I don't know if that's possible, but it's all I have to go off here." He pressed the gun into Loki's throat. "So do you feel lucky?" 

Loki actually smiled. 

"You're good kid. Too bad you're only human." He sighed. "So what do you want?" 

"I want you to change it," Harper said in all seriousness. "Make it so Trance doesn't die, but so that I don't have to kill the child to do it." 

Loki shook his head, laughing. Harper yanked hard on the tail to stop him. 

"Sorry kid, but things don't work that way." Harper began to squeeze the trigger. "It's not just Trance," Loki amended quickly. "Think about it. You actually believe that Trance was the only person that Nietzschean ever killed in his life? That child up there will grow up into a trained mercenary. He will kill thousands of both innocent and guilty parties." The hand holding the gun was shaking. "So now you have to ask yourself. Will you condemn thousands of people that he will torture and destroy because you are too weak to kill one child?" Loki winced as his tail was twisted. "You can hurt me all you want Kid, but it doesn't change the future." 

"Dammit stop it!" Harper screamed. "I'm not going to kill a child. You can change this, I know you can make it right, so just do it already!" 

"I told you I..." Harper backhanded his captive with the hand holding his tail. Loki growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. 

"Make. It. Right. Or I swear, I don't care who you're related to, I will kill you," Harper promised. Loki glared, his face twisted in fury that this weak underling would dare to threaten him. But his orders specified that he couldn't kill the human. So Trance's brother calmed himself and shrugged as best he could. 

"Fine, if that's how you want to play things, I can't help you. But you need to get off me," he pointed out. Harper complied, but only after whacking Loki over the head again to stun the other man, ensuring he wouldn't try anything. Harper quickly scurried back, still pointing the gun at Loki's throat. 

The purple male stood up, raising both hands in a show of peace. He walked over to the crib, Harper's ever-watchful eyes on him the whole way. Loki bent down and whispered something to the sleeping Nietzschean baby. 

"There." He straightened up. "It is done." 

"That's it?" Harper asked suspiciously. 

"That's it," Loki replied, sauntering over to the door. Upon opening it, he smiled, and then walked through. Harper frowned, then warily followed. 

He found himself back in Andromeda's corridors, Loki standing nearby. Sighing, Harper sat down with his back against the wall, twirling the gun in his hands. 

"Did I pass?" 

"You surprised me," Loki was rubbing his tail. "That fight was very unexpected. But since you didn't kill the Nietzschean child, you passed." 

Harper smiled tiredly, happy to have gotten it over with, and also enthralled at Loki's appearance. He looked like hell. Loki noticed Harper's gaze. 

"I wouldn't be too happy," he shot back. "If I didn't have my orders, you would be dead by now." 

"All talk, and no walk," Harper said, still grinning. 

"Live it up Blondie. I promise the next test isn't so easy." With that, Loki left. 

"Yeah, real easy." Harper rolled his eyes and got up. "You're such a giver." 

------------------- 

"What happened to you?" Trance asked as Harper limped into medical. 

"I got into a scuffle with a certain golden gal's brother." Trance ran over and helped Harper sit down. "I won." 

"I'd hate to see the loser," she remarked, checking Harper over for anything serious. 

"Yeah, tails aren't all they're cracked up to be," he joked as Trance bandaged the cut on his forehead and leg. 

"Well it's nothing serious, although I recommend a hot bath. You're going to be stiff in the morning," Trance said. "So what was the test about?" 

"Oh nothing." Harper waved the memories away like a bad dream. "Piece of cake." 

"That's why you're on Med Deck?" Trance raised an eyebrow. 

"Hey Trance, what's the name of your species again? I think I might be able to pronounce OW!" He yelped as she pushed on a bruised area. 

"Alright, don't tell me." Her face lit up. "Wanna see something?" 

"Depends," Harper replied. Trance shook her head, then grabbed his hand and pulled him over to an internal scanner. He winced upon remembering too many times having to use one to check out his 'lil Magog buddies. But he knew what Trance wanted this time; they had done this part before. Trance turned it on and pointed at the screen. 

"See," she said. Harper stared in awe at his eight week old child. No matter how many times she showed him, he still couldn't believe it. The baby still looked oddly inhuman, although Harper didn't know if that was Trance's side or just the development. Trance was ok with it, so apparently everything was fine. 

"The fingers are developing, and you can just see the start of the toes." She pointed everything out to him. "Apparently that extra growth I've been studying is what we thought it was." 

"So he's going to have a tail. Ya hear that buddy," Harper said leaning down near Trance's stomach. "Remember, that's from your mother's side. The dashing good looks are all me." 

Trance smiled and ran her hand through Harper's hair. 

"I wouldn't call them dashing," she commented. 

"Hey! Did you hear what your mommy said about me?" Trance rolled her eyes, and pushed the grinning Harper away. He sat down nearby. As they both continued to study the screen, his thoughts began to wander. 

This was his child. It was still hard for him to believe, but it was there. Bring it on Loki, Harper thought. Nothing's going to take my family from me.


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

"Why don't you go enjoy yourself?" Trance asked as she weaved through the crowd. Harper shook his head. 

"No way Trance. You're in your tenth week, and I told you what Loki said about our next test. I've bugged you all this time on the Andromeda; I'm sure not leaving you alone in a city on some planet." he replied stubbornly. 

"Fine. But this means no bars or casinos, and you'll end up carrying most of what I buy," she said. 

"Hey, The Harper is tougher than he looks. Temptations cannot pull me away from my favorite golden gal." Trance noticed he was glancing at a rather well endowed woman as he spoke. She rolled her eyes and kept moving. "Besides, I need to pick up parts myself. Rommie's been nagging me about her recycling systems. And frankly, sometimes it's good to get out for a while. Being stuck on a warship with Captain Terrific and Tyr the Bad Tempered for weeks at a time isn't all the ladies think it's cracked up to be." 

"Agreed." Trance stopped by a stand, looking over a box that contained tools for knife care. "I'm glad Dylan let me come with you." 

"Let you?" Harper grinned. "I think you're forgetting about the part where you threatened to strangle him with his large intestine." 

"So I'm not perfect," she shrugged, pulling out a small sharpening stone. Trance looked it over and measured its weight in her palm. 

"From where I'm standing, that's doesn't seem entirely true." Harper caught the package she threw at him. 

"You are so..." 

"Charming? Good looking? Irresistible?" He wiggled his eyebrows. 

"Wearisome," she decided, paying the owner. 

"You're just being nice," he said unfazed. 

"Actually I'm..." Harper frowned as Trance stopped speaking in mid sentence. 

"What's wrong?" he asked. She held up a hand, signaling him to be silent. After a few seconds, Harper heard it too. They looked at each other, suppressed groans, and ran towards the screams. 

A large crowd was surrounding a larger, one story building. Trance tapped a bystander on the shoulder. 

"What exactly is going on here?" she asked. The man, a local human, didn't even turn around. 

"That's hotel just started to collapse," he said in awe. "Most of the people escaped, but they say a pregnant woman and her mate are still trapped inside their room." 

"How much longer until the emergency services arrive?" Harper looked worriedly at the building. The entrance had scrape metal and broken glass strewn in and around them. The roof and walls of the north and east ends had completely collapsed in. It wasn't going to hold up for very long. 

"We had the exact same thing happen on the other side of the city, and to the west as well," he answered. "Buildings just falling in like they're made of mud and sticks. They won't make it for another forty minutes." 

"That's too long," Trance said suddenly, pushing through the crowd. 

"Trance!" Harper chased after her, using his small size to easily squeeze through and dodge the other observers. "You are not going in there!" She pressed on. He sighed, and ran forward, grabbing her arm. "That building is falling down, and you don't know the dangers in there. Besides, what makes you think the rescue teams won't get here in time?" 

"Trust me on this Harper, it won't," she said with force. "Now let me go." 

"Alright, I believe you, but you still can't go in there." He pointed to her stomach. "I won't let you risk your life or the baby's." 

"And what about that woman and her child?" Trance tapped her foot in impatience. "Am I supposed to leave them to die? Nobody around here seems to be willing to help." She glanced around the crowd. They all had backed even further from the building as it shuddered. 

"I'll go in." Harper slid into his leather jacket and tightened his toolbelt. "I don't have a child to worry about," he started before she could disagree, "and like you said, we can't let that woman in there just die." 

Trance bit her lip, not seeing any possible futures, only the ones she could make in her own mind. Harper was observing her quietly. The building shuddered again, reminding Trance she had to make this decision quick. 

"Go," she said. Harper nodded, and turned to enter, but Trance grabbed his shoulder. 

"If you don't come back alive, I am going to kill you," she warned. He gave her that damned lopsided grin before running forward and carefully entering the building. A few bystanders gasped and yelled at him to come back. 

Trance backed away to a safe distance and stood among the other observers. All she could do now is wait and worry. 

------------- 

Harper coughed, waving the air in front of his face. That just stirred the dust more, causing the young man to have a sneezing fit. 

"Some hero I'll make," he grumbled, carefully stepping around large, jagged pieces of metal and glass. The lobby was clear for now, although the computer consels were wrecked. Harper steered clear of the collapsed areas, hoping that the people he was looking for hadn't been over there, and went towards the south and west rooms. 

"Hello? Anyone here?" he called out. "Is there anybody in this building?" 

Harper finished examining two halls estimating twenty minutes had passed. The keypads that the employees used to make announcements or call individual rooms had either been destroyed or shorted out, taking away that plan. A loud groan came from above, and he ran forward, just making it as a rather large tile came crashing down, taking most of the wall and ceiling with it. 

"Well that lessens my options," he said, now shaky from the close call. It still left four more hallways with thirty rooms each, assuming all rooms where still intact. Even if they all weren't it was still over a hundred rooms with about twenty minutes to spare. 

"C'mon Harper, think hard. You've been pregnant before, so what room would you choose?" He sighed, turning to bang his head on a nearby wall as nothing came to him. An intact keypad stared back at him. 

"Score! Now let's hope it works." Harper pressed a few buttons. The pad flickered, and then glowed to life. "It really likes me!" Quickly the engineer worked to override the simple security mechanisms. A small microphone popped out. "Primitive," he scoffed, picking it up. 

"Hello?" he called into the mouthpiece. "Is there anyone here? Please give me a signal." Harper tapped his foot. "Hello? I could really use a freakin' clue here!" After a few more minutes and no answer, Harper threw the microphone down and started to return to his search. Just then, the keypad projected a holographic map of the hotel. A light was blinking in one room. Harper smiled and let out a small laugh before memorizing the location and running towards it. 

---------------- 

Trance bounced on the balls of her feet, debating whether she should throw caution to the wind and go in after. 

"Juice?" The man from before held out a cup for Trance. Thankful, she sniffed it and then drank it down. "The hardest thing to do sometimes is wait," he said knowingly. 

"Thanks for the drink," she said, "but at the moment I really don't need to talk." 

"So instead you just want to pace around nervously?" He held out a hand. "Kinden Drekal." 

"Trance Gemini." Trance ignored the hand. "I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think you could understand this." 

"Understand that someone you care about is trapped inside that building and there's nothing you can do to help? That you want to burst in there, save the day, and make everything right, but you can't? Yeah, I guess I wouldn't." Trance gave him the fish eye, something rising to the surface of her mind. But a thick fog seemed to cloud whatever it was she felt she needed to know. 

"How did you know?" she suddenly asked. 

"Know what?" 

"About the two people trapped inside. How did you know they were in there?" Trance noticed Kinden didn't even break a sweat. 

"The manager is very efficient. We did a head count of everyone who came out. Two were missing, and he knew which ones because they were off-worlders, and strange ones at that," he answered smoothly. Still, something was wrong. 

"You're lying," she pressed, staring him down. "I don't like it when people lie, especially when it concerns those I care about in danger." 

"I can assure you that no harm will come to your friend," he said. Trance didn't know why, but she just trusted him. Instead of hounding him more, she sat down, finally starting to tire, and waited. 

------------ 

When Harper finally arrived at room 25-C, he realized why the couple hadn't been able to get out of the hotel. In some freakishly weird accident, a solid metal beam had wedged itself crossways across the doorway. Its ends were crushed into the corners of the door, making it stick closed. And of course, these damn hotels never thought of putting in windows or a back way out. 

"Everyone back away from the door!" he yelled, hoping they could hear. Harper put on his goggles and pulled out his nanowelder, easily cutting through the beam and door. He cautiously entered. "Hello?" 

"In here!" A voice floated from the bedroom. Harper made his way there, and nearly fell over in shock. 

"Oh hell no!" 

---------------- 

Another part of the building fell in. Trance held her breath, praying Harper hadn't been in that section. Kinden had left her for a few minutes. Now she had no company except for the crowd of cowards. Trance wanted to yell at them to help, but knew it would be useless. She had tried before. Instead, she stood up, and started walking towards the hotel. But a few feet from the door, Trance remembered the other one she had to protect. Clenching her fists, the battle against the two parts of her was decided, and she turned back. 

--------------- 

"Well it's a pleasure to see you again too, Mr. Harper," Fenty replied from her position on the floor. Her ankle was trapped under a heavy dresser, her mate by her side. 

"Sorry, just really not in the mood." Harper sighed, observing the dresser. He wouldn't be able to lift it even with the other Urkam's help. He pulled out a laser cutter instead. 

"Well that makes more than one of us," Fenty's mate commented. "I'm Limas." 

"Harper." With Limas' help, they were able to cut away the dresser. Harper noticed over the last four months her stomach had swelled a considerable amount. 

"Mr. Harper, you shouldn't be here. You're pregnant as well." Limas almost cut off his hand, so distracted from this surprise. 

"Trance and I switched a few months ago, I'm not carrying him anymore." They removed the last of the material. Harper winced, feeling Fenty's mangled foot. 

"It's broken," she said for him. Harper nodded, and helped her stand. 

Limas supported Fenty while Harper took the lead to make things easier for them. They were nearly to the lobby when Harper ran into a wall of debris. Swearing under his breath, he told Limas to set Fenty down and help him move some of the debris. They could see through a hole about the size of Harper's hand at the top that the room beyond was still intact. 

"Hurry, we don't have much time left," Harper growled as they tried widening the hole. 

"If we make a mistake, things will be worse," Limas shot back. Harper hated to admit it, but he was right. The building continued to groan and shake as more and more parts came down. Down the hall, the three trapped could hear the room they had just come from finally fall. It caused them to work faster. 

"Limas!" The Urkam turned as Fenty shouted. The hall they were in rocked dangerously. Harper looked at the progress they had made, and swallowed. He glanced over at Limas, and the other male nodded, understanding. Both crawled down next to Fenty and covered her body with theirs as the walls around them finally collapsed. 

---------------- 

"They're coming!" someone yelled, pointing as sleds started appearing in the distance. Trance breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe she had been wrong, and the units would go in and help Harper... 

"It's falling!" The crowd screamed and scattered as what was left of the building caved in. Trance's mouth fell open, and she ran forward. 

"Harper!"


	15. Chapter 15

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

Trance's passage was abruptly cut off as someone grabbed her arm and yanked her back. She didn't know or care who it was; the golden alien whipped around and slapped them as hard as she could. 

Kinden stumbled back, rubbing his cheek. Trance noticed with frustration he hadn't let go. She pulled her arm with all her strength, and still the human held on. 

"You certainly have a nice way of saying thank you," he retorted. 

"It's my species' custom," she said sarcastically. "It means hands off!" Trance brought her hand around for another swing, but Kinden was able to duck this time. 

"You still can get hurt in all that junk," he said, trying to force her to understand. Trance resorted instead to pulling out a dagger and holding it to his throat. 

"And you can get hurt if you continue to hold me here." Kinden let go and backed away slowly. Trance took a few steps back, still watching him. Sure he wouldn't try and grab her again, the alien turned and sprinted towards the ruins of the building. She stood among the rubble, seemingly deep in thought, before struggling over to a specific section and starting to carefully remove the debris. A team of workers arrived at the spot a few minutes later. 

"M'am," an older female made her way over to Trance, "we need you to move so we can finish mapping out the area, looking for specific faults and dangerous materials, and then determining where the survivors, if there are any..." 

"There are survivors," Trance said, not stopping her work. "They're here." 

"We know there were people in the building..." 

"No!" This time she stopped and looked at the other woman. "They're right here." Trance pointed to the area beneath her. The worker just nodded her head, and then activated her beeping com. Even though both the woman and her co-worker kept their voices low, Trance still heard the conversation. 

"I'm not going through some mental problems because I'm pregnant," she answered before the woman could ask. "I know that they're here. So either you get your friends over to this spot to start digging, or else I don't move." 

"Why don't you listen to her Maurice," Kinden pulled himself up to the pile. "This lady doesn't reason much, and you know what they say about a mother's intuition." 

Not knowing what else to do, the Maurice told her team to come to the site and start working. Kinden pulled Trance off to the side as more rescuers came with their machinery. Trance turned to ask him how he knew Maurice, but the human had just left. 

During the wait, Trance sent a message to the Andromeda, telling them what had transpired. Unfortunately they were a few light-years away, and it would take the ship hours to receive the message and yet another day to make it to the planet. 

Three hours after the crew had started working, someone let out a shout. Trance ran over, hoping for the best. 

One of the workers was reaching through a hole, helping out someone who was also being pushed from the inside. Trance nearly fell over herself as Fenty, covered in a fine layer of dust, blinked as she was pulled into the fading sunlight. Her gaze fell upon Trance. 

"Miss Gemini! Harper..." The Urkam was cut off as she was dragged to a nearby medic. Trance tried pushing through to her, but another line of people blocked her as they pulled out someone else. It was another Urkam; the one Trance remembered knocking out back on Jaoi. That must be Fenty's mate. Trance finally decided to stop being polite and shoved her way to the front. 

"It's the weirdest thing," she overheard Maurice telling Kinden. "The large tiles and beams fell right against each other to create almost a solid room around the survivors, blocking out all the heavy debris. It's like a miracle or something." 

"The last one's injured!" she heard as the final crewmen began to pull Harper out. Trance didn't know whether to be grateful for the fact Harper wasn't dead or upset at just how badly injured he might be. 

With help, Harper stumbled out of the hole, holding his right arm close to him. Trance knew it was broken by the angle of the bone and the look on her friend's face. 

"Trance!" he called out, spotting her, fighting against the medics that were pulling him towards a grav truck. Kinden walked over and helped Trance through the throng over to the vehicle that was transporting the three survivors to the city's hospital. Harper calmed down when he saw she was with him, allowing the medics to sit him down in a nearby chair. 

"I'm the medical officer on our ship, I'll treat this one," Trance told them. Harper narrowed his eyes when they looked unconvinced and told them he would struggle more if they didn't let Trance take care of him. The doctors sighed and left to help take care of the other patients. Trance grabbed some supplies from the built in shelves and started to work. 

"Well at least you don't have to kill me now," Harper cracked, his throat obviously dry. Trance grabbed some water for him. "Thanks." 

"We'll see about that," she replied, her eyes shining. Harper tilted his head, noticing not only that, but the fact her hands were shaking. 

"Trance, what's wrong?" He looked her over, his heart pounding as he began to put a few things together. "I knew you shouldn't have been there with those workers," he said, getting even more upset. If she had somehow gotten hurt... 

"Harper, no." Trance took a few deep breaths before continuing. "You just really scared me." 

"Trance, we've been through a lot worse than that. _I_," he emphasized, "have been through a _hell_ of a lot worse than that." 

"But things have changed," she said. Now back under control, Trance continued to work on his arm. It was pretty bad, and she needed actual scans to know how to set it correctly. For now all she could do was keep Harper comfortable and hold off infection. 

"Oh?" Harper looked hopeful. 

"Well you're now the father of an actual growing child," she said carefully. "And I'm beginning to see just how important this is now that I can feel it growing in me." Trance caught the second of disappointment before Harper concealed it. "And you have to admit, we've grown closer as friends because of this." 

"Of course. Best friends," he said, and then started looking around the vehicle. "You know, you seem to have me mostly taken care of for now. I'm sure they could use your advice with caring for the Urkam, considering you and Fenty are in the same position and all that." 

Trance wanted to protest, but Harper clearly didn't want to talk with her anymore. Suppressing a sigh, she nodded and put the things she had borrowed away before going over to check on Fenty. 

---------------- 

"Harper, don't strain yourself. That arm will never heal," Andromeda's hologram scolded. 

"Dammit! They said that it would only take six days for this thing to mend, even with an immune system that works less than your sensors." Harper scratched the offending appendage. "And it itches!" 

"Stop scratching. I doubt they were considering the fact you work constantly without giving thought to your medications or health for that matter," she replied. 

"Well if you want to get logical..." 

"It should be finished healing by tomorrow, if you stop working now and relax for the rest of the day." Sighing, the hologram shook her head. "Honestly, I would think you'd want time off." 

"Yeah, well I'm unpredictable that way. It's one of my many cute perks." He shoved a few wires out of the way. "What did you guys do while I was on shore leave? Save an entire planet from Pyrians? Go up against a fleet of Dragan ships? Free Earth? It must have been insanely foolish to give you this amount of damage." 

"You should know that not all damage comes from foolishness," Andromeda replied, motioning towards his arm. "Some of it is heroic." 

"Wait a minute? Did the the warship on a mission to restore a long lost government and bring order to the universe just call something I did heroic?" He grinned. 

"She's not the only one who thinks so." Harper visibly jumped as Trance game up from behind him. "Sorry. I thought you might want to see this." She handed him a flexi. 

"Now what could my golden gal be giving me today?" Harper took the flexi and turned it on. After eight days, Trance and he were back on good terms. Harper easily buried the conversation under layers of quips, playfulness, and Andromeda's inner workings. Both had also been pacing around, waiting for Loki to show his scrawny tail. 

"It's another thank you note from Fenty and Limas," she said. Harper rolled his eyes. 

"I told them it wasn't a big deal," he said, scanning it over. "I love gratitude, but this is going overboard. There's even an attachment." He pressed a few buttons, and started smiling. Trance looked over at Andromeda, knowing she was scanning. 

"It's a collection of names throughout the whole worlds, all categorized and alphabetized," she answered the alien's unspoken question. 

"Yeah, it's the Big Database of Baby Names," Harper said, scanning it over. "They have Perseid, Urkam, Pyrian, Human, Nietzschean...ooooooo!" He looked up at Trance. "How does Linatnea sound?" 

"I will break your arm again if you even consider that name," she responded. 

"But it's so cute. And what about," Harper made some horrible screeching noise. Trance covered her ears while the AI winced. "I mean you can't go wrong with that." 

"Seamus Harper!" She grabbed the flexi away. 

"And then of course there's Linte and Isgrandes and..." he named off, having memorized a few. Trance shook her head and began walking off, Harper trailing behind, counting off names he had gotten from the flexi or made up. 

"At least he's stopped working," Andromeda remarked before dissipating.


	16. Chapter 16

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

Trance slowly came to; blinking as bright light invaded her sight. Something was wrong, she could tell. Her mind felt sluggish, her body felt heavy, and the baby... 

The baby! 

Despite everything, Trance bolted straight up, immediately regretting it as all of her limbs protested at once. Wildly she looked around. She wasn't in Harper's quarters. She wasn't even on the Andromeda anymore. And she couldn't feel her son. 

"Trance, calm down." Harper was suddenly at her side, gently rubbing her shoulders and lowering her back onto the bed. 

"The baby…" Trance's tongue felt very thick. She swallowed and tried again. "The baby's missing." 

"Shhhh...." He began to gently stroke her hair. "They just had to take him for a few tests to make sure he was fine." 

"Who took him?" she asked, beginning to panic. Harper tilted his head, confused. 

"The nurses," he replied softly. "Don't you remember?" 

"The last thing I remember was going to sleep in your quarters, fourteen weeks into the pregnancy." Harper didn't even try to hide his worry Trance noted. "Harper what happened?" 

"The crew decided to take a shore leave to Infinity Atoll since you were getting close to giving birth, and we were all under a little stress. We were all on the beach, and then you began to go into labor. We rushed you to the nearest hospital." Harper's concern grew with every word that didn't seem to ring a bell with Trance. "You just delivered our son about thirty minutes ago." 

"It must be a side affect," she finally concluded, trying to ease both Harper's and her worry. "My strength's starting to return, and the rest should come back with it." Trance patted his hand. Harper nodded, and Trance began to giggle softly as the realization of the fact her son had been delievered beganto seep in. "So what does he look like?" she asked, knowing she should be more concerned with facts like blood and tissue samples and so on. But right now it didn't matter. 

Harper beamed, and started to reply, but two human nurses rushed in, each one pushing a cart. By the looks on their faces, the news wasn't good. 

"We swear it wasn't our fault," one almost sobbed out. "Somebody's idea of a joke..." 

"Calm down," the other, more experience, scolded. She turned to the couple. "A problem has risen." 

"What?" Trance felt Harper's grip tighten considerably, and she knew she was digging her fingers into him as well. 

"It was quite a surprise to get a species like you in here giving birth," the calmer nurse explained. "But three of you was just, well, you can imagine." 

"Two others like her? Giving birth?" Harper looked over at Trance, but she was baffled.  
  
"Yes. And of course the babies were all very interesting enough." The nurse grimaced. "But we've been having problems with a group called H.A.N.H., or Humans Against Non-Humans. They were a little upset when finding three of your kind appear here, and we're afraid something terrible has happened." 

A million possibilities ran through Trance's mind. Not the kind her species had, but the kind a panicked mother has nightmares about happening. Her child could be kidnapped, hurt, or even... 

"Where is our son?!" Harper growled, stalking towards the nurse. She signaled her companion and the two wheeled the carts the rest of the way into the room and next to the bed. Trance looked down and saw two identical children. They were more or less humanoid, except both had soft blue down covering their bodies, long tails poking out from under the yellow blanket that covered them, and pointed ears. 

"Their identification chips are no longer in them," the nurse said hesitantly. "We can't tell which one is yours." 

Trance's heart literally stopped for several beats before returning, frantically pounding. She swallowed back the lump that threatened to clog her throat, and turned to Harper. 

"I can't remember," she whispered. Harper looked just as horrified. 

"They made me stay out during the birth." His words were heavy with regret. "I never got a chance to see him." 

"One of the other couples had a girl, so we could automatically tell that one. But the other had a son, and unfortunately, we cannot seem to get DNA readings with our equipment. The other mother said she's given birth before, and that the memories don't return. She can't tell them apart," the nurse said. "She knows you somehow, Miss Gemini, and she said since you're older than her, you should have better perceptions on these things. Now I don't know how you do it, but she trusts you. So it's up to your decision." 

"I can't believe it. You would think there'd be some defining human trait," Harper said as he looked down at both children. 

Trance didn't bother responding. She had a decision here, and it would end up making a complete difference in four people's lives. Using everything and every bit of strength she had, she peered into both children. 

The first one had a wonderful future laid out for him. In every possible future but one, Trance could see happiness. The child was successful; he made right choices, and never screwed up like she had so many times. Harper and her continued to grow closer, and her species loved the toddler and accepted him. And through this child, Trance also saw a way to make amends with those she had wronged. 

The second was tainted, the exact opposite of the first. Only one happy future showed through the dark for him. He was picked on, often getting into fights. She could see Harper and her arguing over him, growing distant and cold. Problems arose, and she found herself having to fix both her and her son's mistakes. Her family eventually rejected them. 

Trance bit her lip, feeling all eyes, including the babies', on her. Her mind raced between the two. Was there a perfect possible future awaiting her, or one with barely any hope? She finally pointed to the first. 

"He is ours." 

The nurse nodded gravely, and placed the baby softly into Harper's arms. 

"Congratulations, and thank you so much. We will certainly bring this up with our government." She nodded to the other nurse, and the two began to leave. Harper sat down near Trance, holding the beautiful child out to her. 

"Would you like to hold our son?" he asked. Trance reached out for him, and then stopped. 

"No." Nearly sobbing, she told the two nurses to wait. "I've made a mistake. That's not the right baby." 

"Are you sure?" Harper asked her. Trance nodded, her head seeming to move on it's own accord. Harper handed the first child back to the nurses, and claimed their real son. He gently placed him in Trance's arms. The nurses rolled the other away as Trance looked down at her son...her tainted child. 

"I don't care," she whispered to him, trying to convince herself more. "You're mine, and I guess we'll just have to do our best to change that future." 

---------------------- 

Loki knelt in front of an elderly, silver female. At least his mental projection did. In truth, the older alien was billions of light-years from his location. It was a great advantage of his species. 

"She almost failed," came the soft, solemn voice. 

"But she did pass in the end," he replied, somewhat defiantly. The other noticed this. 

"You care too much for her, especially one so rebellious." She sighed. "But you are right. Still, the rest of the order agrees this feels wrong." She seemed to consider the man in front of her, evaluating his worth. "We have decided she needs an extra test." 

"Yes milady," Loki said. The woman waited, and then waved him away. 

"Well get on with it child," she said, her eyes twinkling. Loki smiled, nodding before fading from her sight. 

----------------- 

Over two months had passed since Harper and Trance had swapped the soul, and now it was noticeable. Harper jumped down from his spot near the X-1 and landed gracefully next to Trance. 

"Don't you dare sing today," she warned him. 

"What's wrong with my singing?" he asked. She gave him one of _those_ looks, and he grinned back. "Even if I promise no dirty lyrics this time?" Seeing he wasn't going to win, Harper helped Trance sit down. He knelt next to her, placing a hand on her swelling stomach. 

"Hey buddy! It's your daddy again." The moment Trance had informed Harper the baby could hear them, he had insisted they do these "family conversations" everyday. It was Harper mostly talking, but Trance added her own voice when correcting something he usually was misinformed about. Otherwise her voice wasn't needed. She was still communicating with the spirit in her sleep. The baby knew her well enough by now to easily identify her, although he kept what he had chosen to look like a secrete from her. The little guy was a tease, something Trance was sure he had picked up from Harper. 

After today's session, Harper offered to walk Trance down to medical, but she was feeling full of energy today. She knew he was still worried, considering that Trance had told him about the last test, but she reminded him it would be his turn next. 

This is why she was taken by surprise when Loki walked up to her. 

"Loki?" 

"You got lucky," he said, his tone even. "You almost lost your son to him." Obviously the thought of Harper being the sole guardian of his nephew had not pleased Loki. 

"We've been over this before," she hissed back. "Now what are you bugging me for." 

"They've decided you need an extra test. Follow me," he said. Trance stiffened a little a Loki's cold demeanor towards her, but did as he commanded. They stopped outside a doorway. 

"What is it?" Trance asked as her brother just stood there. 

"Your final test," he replied. "It corresponds with Harper's." Trance spun around as footsteps came up behind her. Her eyes went wide. Staring back at her was her exact duplicate. 

"Harper's test, like the others, will require him to make a choice. His choice could kill you. I ask you, sister, do you trust your friend," Loki sneered upon saying the word, "to make the right choice?" 

Something had gotten to Loki, but Trance couldn't figure out what. He was being awfully cruel, especially about Harper. Narrowing her eyes, and standing a little straighter, Trance nodded. 

"I trust Harper with my life," she answered. 

"But what about the life of your unborn child?" Loki asked. Trance hesitated. "Harper's decision will not only mean the difference between you living or dying, but also the child you carry within you. This duplicate," he gestured to the other Trance behind her, "will take your place if you want her to. It all depends. Do you trust him?" 

Trance looked at the door, then Loki, her growing stomach, her duplicate, then back to her belly. Did she trust Harper? He was only human, but he had done so much in his short exisistance. Still, a lot of those things included making mistakes. This mistake would be serious. Swallowing, she looked up at her brother. 

"My choice is..." 

----------------- 

"Hello Blondie." Harper tilted his head back, letting out an exaggerated sigh. 

"You obviously don't understand the meaning of go away," he said. 

"Guess not," Loki replied, dropping down beside Harper. Harper frowned at Loki's stiff manner. Maybe he was still pissed about Harper beating the crap out of him. 

"Can we just get this over with?" Harper asked, setting a piece of his project down. Loki nodded curtly, and suddenly the room was completely bare except for two long tubes, each about the size of a Nietzschean, standing roughly five meters apart from each other. In front of each tube was a separate consul, each with a red button in the middle. 

"So do I have to guess what's behind door number one?" Harper quipped, earning an icy look from Loki. The purple male stepped up in front of Harper, a smile finally settling on his lips. 

"The grand finale," he said, walking over to the first tube. He pressed a button and the silver lining inside the tube dropped to reveal Trance. She was bound and gagged. Harper yelled out in anger and tried running forward, but fell back on his rear, holding his nose. 

"Sorry. Energy field. I must have forgotten." Loki shrugged and skipped over to the other tube. The lining fell away from this one to show a ball of bluish light. Harper's stomach lurched when he recognized it. His son's soul. Loki waltzed to the center of the two cylinders and stood facing Harper. 

"I can tell you recognize both occupants, so I will just skip to the rules," the other man said. "You have thirty seconds to decide." 

"Decide what?" Harper growled, standing up and pounding against the field. 

"If you would let me finish." Loki rolled his eyes. "After I say start, thirty-five seconds will pass. The first thirty seconds you have to choose. You see, one of these two have to die, and you get to pick which one." Harper knew Loki was internally jumping with glee upon seeing him go white. "After thirty seconds is up, I will tell you to go. You then have five seconds to run forward and press a button. Whoever's button you press, their life will be spared. You don't have enough time to get to both, and if you chose to press neither button, and they both will die. Any questions?" Harper just glared. "Start then." 

Harper's heart was pounding in his head, blocking out all thoughts. God, he couldn't make this decision, he couldn't choose this! How much time had passed? Oh god, only thirty seconds to choose. Someone would die, and it would be his fault again. He was cursed; everyone he ever loved ended up dead because of him, and this time would be no different. Would it be Trance? His best friend? His golden goddess? 

His love. 

Or their child? Their son? Their light? 

His hope. 

He heard a muffled yell and looked up at Trance. She caught his gaze, and as their eyes locked, he knew. Nodding, and nearly crying, he made his choice. 

"Go!" The field collapsed, and Harper ran forward, his hand slamming down on a button. He then watched as one of the most important people in his life vanished before his eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

The bluish light expanded, contracted, and finally burst, disappearing from the sight of both parents. Harper didn't allow himself to think about it, about the fact he might have just actually screwed up and lost his son. He walked over to Trance's tube. 

"Let her out," he hissed at Loki, either oblivious or just not caring about the fact that the other man was fuming. Loki did as he was told, and Trance stumbled out. Harper quickly undid her bonds and grasped her by the shoulders. 

"Please say I'm right," he whispered. She nodded, and placed his hand over her stomach. 

"He's there," Trance said. Harper collapsed to his knees, holding Trance close, shaking with relief. 

"Thank god, thank god, thank god," he kept muttering over and over again. 

"Congratulations," Loki said, although his voice hardly reflected the words. "You both passed your final tests. Trance trusted Harper enough to place herself in danger, and Harper trusted that Trance would never let her child's soul be taken from her." 

Harper used what energy he had left, what hadn't been drained from the mix of emotions and the stress of the last few months, and lunged for Loki. The other was prepared this time around and caught Harper's arm, flipping the engineer over onto his back. 

"Dammit," Harper moaned from his position. 

Trance gave her brother a stern look, then went and helped her friend up. Loki shrugged. 

"He started it." 

"Can we leave now?" Harper grumbled, rubbing his backend. "Loki did say this is the last test." He turned towards Loki. "So sorry you won't be visiting again. I'll miss our bonding time, I really will." The sarcastic attitude, Harper's shield, had returned. He could dwell over the scars this test had left on his already battered soul another time. 

"It is the last official test of our people," Loki said. "It is not the last test you will ever face. You'll have to overcome a great many odds...if you survive." 

"Yeah yeah yeah, life is full of challenges, dilemmas, and all that other crap that makes my existence a living hell. But where there's life, there's hope and by god, I must survive!" Harper rolled his eyes, clasping his shaky hands behind his back where no one could see. "I wonder what Tyr would think if he knew he had a purple clone." 

Loki snorted, and the room faded back into a storage closet. 

"Thank you." Harper began to quickly walk out, but noticed Trance wasn't following. "Trance?" 

"I'll catch up with you. I need to talk with Loki." Both Harper and Loki looked very surprised. Harper stopped, and stubbornly stood in the doorway. Trance let out an exasperated sigh. "Harper, he's not going to hurt me. I'm his sister, and the tests are over." Harper still didn't budge. 

"I'm staying," he replied. 

"Harper..." 

"I. Don't. Trust. Him," Harper said slowly as if Trance were a child. "I don't care if he is your family. You're pregnant, and he's been torturing us for the last..." 

"I have not been torturing you!" Loki interrupted. "I've been doing my job." 

"Find a different area of employment," Harper replied. 

"Stop it you two!" Trance stalked up to Harper, and then turned soft eyes towards him, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "Harper, please trust me on this. You know I wouldn't do anything to harm our child. Or do you not remember the test we just went through?" 

Harper bounced on the balls of his feet, biting his lip. 

"Thirty minutes," he finally offered. Trance nodded, and then wrapped her arms around him in a brief hug. Harper stiffened, caught off guard, but before he could respond, she let go. 

Harper looked like he wanted to say something, but shook his head instead and walked off muttering something about psychotic enigmas with horns and tails. 

Trance sat down on a nearby crate and patted the space next to her. Loki sat down. 

"Ok, I don't have very long, so I'm just going to ask. What the hell is up with you?!" she demanded, slapping him across the face. Loki fell backwards off the crate. 

"Trance, you know this is my job." Loki pulled himself back up, rubbing the side of his face. 

"Loki, I know about these tests better than most people. You _are_ my brother." Trance glared at him. "And you were being extra hard on Harper. Not only that, but you've suddenly become even more of a pain in the ass than normal." 

The side of Loki's mouth twitched in amusement, but his eyes remained dark. 

"The human has an attachment towards you. I always noticed it, but ignored it. Then I had to play Blondie in your test." Loki shook his head in disgust. "You should've abolished those emotions a long time ago. Instead you allow them to fester, to grow." 

"I can't have the father of my child hating me. And I need the crew's trust," Trance calmly explained. "Besides, I've made my position on the matter very clear with Harper." 

"Have you?" Loki let Trance ponder the question, then stood up with disgust when she didn't answer him. "Flux warned me about this. You are forgetting your allies." 

"Never!" 

"Your actions are louder than any words you can say to me," Loki said. "I suggest you get your thoughts together and start acting like one of us." 

"What if I don't want to?" Loki spun fast and grabbed Trance by her shoulders. 

"You should watch what you say," he hissed. 

"And you should stop telling me what to do as if you know everything," Trance countered. "You've never had to play guardian to another species, you've never gotten close with them. You have no idea what you're missing out on." 

"Neither do you." He sighed, letting her go. "You spend too much time in this little dream world you've created. In truth, the Andromeda is nothing but your set, the crew your cast. You're the star, the writer, and the director. You're playing with them just so you can live out your fantasies." Loki smirked. "In truth, you're no better than the rest of us." 

"I never said I was," Trance whispered. Loki's words had stung. 

"Directly, no." He knelt down next to his sister, clasping her hand. "Come home. You can give your child a normal life, one without the interference of that human. You can both live in happiness." 

"We are happy, Loki." Trance slid her hand from his. "I'm sorry you don't see that." 

Loki closed his eyes, and turned his back on his sister. 

"I can't always stick up for you. The paths you're choosing are becoming too much for even me to handle." Loki pretended his sister, his light, didn't have tears in her eyes. "I'm not abandoning you, but I'm tired of trying to talk sense into you. I wish you and your child luck." With that he left the room. 

Trance didn't know how long she sat there, but Harper eventually poked his head back in. 

"Trance, your thirty minutes have passed." He frowned upon seeing her huddled on a crate, head bowed. Harper walked over to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. "Are you ok?" 

Trance argued with herself. One part of her, the part that craved her brother's acceptance, wanted to push Harper away and tell him to get lost. Or even sit him down right now and talk to him until any hopes Harper had for the two of them to live happily ever after were quashed for good. 

The other part wanted to sit here and be comforted. 

"No, I'm not." She sighed, the second part winning. "But I will be."


	18. Chapter 18

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

Harper bounced excitedly when he saw the new scans Trance took. He had a mini holo-disk in his toolbelt he always carried around now with the newest pictures of their unborn child. 

"He's getting so much...chubbier." Harper winked. "So this means the fact his head used to big bigger than the rest of him wasn't a sign of early genius?" Trance hit him with a nearby pillow. "He's fine then? This is what twenty-five weeks looks like?" 

"I'm a bit concerned that he's still more or less pink." Trance frowned. "It might just be a late development of his, or else the fluids in my body are messing with the picture." 

"Why shouldn't he be pink?" Harper asked. "What're little Trances supposed to be?" 

"Blue," she replied. Harper looked a little surprised. "And he'll be covered in down for the first few weeks of his life." 

"Well that'll be interesting," the young man said a little sarcastically. Trance smiled and shoved him playfully. 

"Hey, I'm dealing with constant movements and some chest pains here. Plus I'm gaining weight." She patted her growing stomach. "So you can deal with some blue skin." 

"Absolutely," Harper said. "In fact, I like the blue skin. It's just another sign of the Harper genius gene." 

"Really?" 

"You have met the Perseids, right?" Harper ducked as another pillow sailed his way. "Should I take that as a no?" 

"Harper, you need to get going on the Maru." Andromeda's voice drifted over the speakers. "Beka says if you keep her waiting, she's going to have my avatar break your legs and drag you on." 

"Do I really have to go?" Harper whined. 

"Yes!" Trance and Andromeda yelled in unison. 

"Harper, you have hardly ever left me to myself since I was given the baby," Trance put a hand over his mouth, "and if you have, it's only been on the Andromeda with constant surveillance by whatever weird thingamajigits you can think of. Go have fun." 

"Besides, Beka has a surprise for you." Andromeda smiled knowingly. 

"Trance, I'm just concerned, you know that." Harper gave her his best sad, puppy eyes. 

"I know that," she said sweetly. "But go." Trance pushed him out of the Med Deck. 

"Try to do something nice..." Harper muttered, jogging down towards the hangar. 

----------- 

"Heya Sport," Beka called as she heard Harper coming up front from his nap. Well at least he was supposed to have taken a nap. But Harper had been too stressed to even lie down. "Do you have them?" 

Harper handed her the disc carefully, as if it were a piece of precious cargo. 

"So the little guy is gaining weight. Trance must be please," Beka smiled, tossing the disc back, Harper nearly falling over himself to catch it, and picking up the piloting controls again. She couldn't help but notice the usually talkative engineer was unusually silent. "She'll be fine." 

"What if she's not?" he asked. "What if this is the day Mr. Lava Lamp and his Magog buddies decide to make their move? Or the Dragans lay an ambush for them? What if she's trying to get food and something short circuits?" Harper's eyes went wide. "I forgot to fix the glitch in Hydroponics. It could..." 

"Harper calm down!" Beka laughed at his paranoia. "Trance is a big girl, she's come back from the dead more times than you've gotten sick. You don't have to worry." 

"That doesn't mean I still don't," he grumbled, leaning on the railing overlooking the cockpit. Beka sighed, and shook her head. 

"Well we're arriving at Lofn now. Thank god it's a drift." 

"What did planets ever do to you?" Harper asked, sliding under the bars to get a closer look. 

"Three summers ago, Infinity Atoll," she reminded him. "Besides, didn't Rommie tell you about the surprise?" 

"Going to give me any hints to what it is?" he prodded. 

"Not what." Beka smiled mysteriously. "Who." 

----------------- 

"Rev!" Beka laughed in childish joy, running up and hugging the Magog. Rev looked just like he had the day he had left the Andromeda, only he had more gray and white hairs than Harper remembered. "I didn't think you'd actually be here." 

"A Wayist doesn't lie," Rev said, returning the hug. He stepped back, looking the human over. "My Beka, how have you changed." 

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Beka shifted, too excited to stand still. She turned to Harper who was still standing in the doorway of Rev's small apartment. "We finally found the furball after some major tracking, and Rev's agreed to come back to the Andromeda." Harper didn't make any movement. "Harper, aren't you going to say hi?" 

Harper and Rev Bem regarded each other, both knowing what the other thinking about, evaluating. 

"Hi Rev," Harper said softly. Rev bowed in turn. 

"Ok, what's up guys?" Beka laughed nervously, seeing how the atmosphere almost felt colder from the looks and body language of the two. "Harper, it's Rev." 

Harper shifted around, not wanting to say anything in front of Beka. Rev was the one who spoke up. 

"Rebecca, could you leave us for a few minutes?" 

"Sure thing Rev." Beka walked right out, shutting the door behind her. Rev and Harper stood there for a few more uncomfortable moments of silence. 

"The others have informed me of the happenings aboard the Andromeda. I must say I'm a little surprised, but quite pleased." Rev took a few steps towards Harper. "I would have come sooner, had I the chance." 

"You wouldn't have had to worry about coming if you didn't leave," Harper said coldly. 

"That is true," Rev admitted. 

"Why did you leave Rev?" Harper bit his lip. "I mean, my god I was dying. You were supposed to be helping me, not abandoning me!" 

"Harper, I am sorry for leaving you and everyone else..." 

"Damn straight!" The young man began to pace. "You ran out on us. Why? Did it get too hard for you?" He sneered. "I was infested with larvae, you don't think that's tough?" 

Harper huffed around a bit as if he wanted to say something, but didn't know how to get it out. 

"I needed you, ok?" he finally said. "You know how hard it is for me to admit that? But I did, and I don't care that you might not have found the cure. You've always been there to offer guidance about the mysteries of the universe, and it may not seem like I listened a lot of the time, but I did. And the one time, the _one_ time I really needed you, you left me." 

Rev had stayed silent throughout the speech, waiting until Harper was finished getting everything out before speaking. He knew the man must have had this pent up for months, the tension almost visibly melting off Harper as he shouted and accused. 

"I'm sorry..." he began. 

"Oh that's rich," Harper scoffed. 

"You didn't let me finish," Rev said, holding onto a great deal of patience. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I'll admit, I was selfish in my endeavors to find self peace." 

Harper seemed to think this over, Rev giving him plenty of time. He eventually stopped pacing and sighed. 

"No Rev, I'm the one being selfish. I shouldn't have expected anyone to find the cure for me to begin with, and I shouldn't have expected you to drop everything for me," he said. Most would be surprised at this sudden revelation. Harper didn't usually forgive easily, but Rev Bem was his friend, a close one. He was the grandfather that died long before Harper had ever been born. 

"Master Harper, you should never think that I, or anyone else for that matter, doesn't have time for you. True friends never abandon you," Rev said urgently. "In truth, I was there the whole time, that is, if I was your true friend." 

"Of course you are Rev," Harper's brow creased, hurt that Rev would think otherwise. Of course, he hadn't exactly just made that so clear just now. 

"I'm glad to hear that," Rev finally smiled, something that would normally send others running away screaming. 

"So we're good?" Harper asked. 

"That all depends on you," Rev replied as obscure as ever. 

"You know, sometimes I wonder if that jumping around an actual answer isn't just a ploy of saying something so far out there, nobody will be able to tell if you're wrong," Harper accused teasingly. 

"Something I picked up from Trance." Rev winked. "Speaking of Trance, how is your child doing?" 

"She's twenty-five weeks in." His eyes lit up, and he pulled out the disc. "Want to see pictures?" 

"I would love to, but don't you think we should invite Beka back in?" 

"Oh, Beka!" Harper headed for the door, but as his hand touched the pad, he turned to Rev. "I'm..." He cleared his throat. "I'm really glad to have you...you know...back Rev." 

"I am always happy to return to my friends," Rev answered. Harper nodded, grinning, then went to go fetch Beka. 

"My first test complete," Rev whispered, never knowing the irony of the statement as he followed his young companion out the door.


	19. Chapter 19

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

(Coco's name was borrowed from a generous friend of mine who also beta read this chapter for me.  The character is not the person though.)

-------------------- 

"Alright, now since you're a male, you don't have to worry too much about the mating process," Trance told the small, developing baby in front of her. Now that the child had a body, it used that to represent it's presence in Trance's mind. Trance to examine her child more closely. Still no blue... 

"Sorry," she said as she felt a nudge in the back of her mind. "But even so, knowledge is power." Trance began to relax, and the black area around her flickered into a vivid picture full of sights, smells, sounds, and touches that eventually swept both of the mind's occupants into the memory. 

------------ 

_The Maru hummed around her, but Trance barely noticed. Harper had welded her into this cramped storage closest, and she was beginning to loathe him for it. _

_No, she had told Harper to do it. Why oh why had she had him lock her in here? The walls where closing in, making her start to breath harder. No, even if was going to hurt her, Trance told herself she had to stay in control. Crying out, the golden alien fell against the side of the closest and slid down the wall. She settled to the floor, hugging herself. _

_Harper had welded her in. How stupid. Didn't he know she could break free? Trance began to giggle softly, suddenly stopping as she finally gave into it. _

_Survival...that's the only thing that Trance could think about. She had to reproduce or else her species would die. They needed numbers, there was strength in numbers, unity in numbers. Love, companionship, more to bred, more to work, more to fight...all this was needed to survive. _

_There was one other on this ship. He wasn't like her. He was sickly, stringy, small, and had too short of a lifespan. But he was male, and he would do. Time was running out. _

_Trance was out of the closet in seconds, everything was focused on the small human at the front of the ship. She prowled, keeping low and silent. He was working, but stiffly, as if he could sense her approaching, stalking him. The alien had to smile at that. He had some skills. _

_Trance picked up a piece of scrap and threw it to one side of the ship. It hit it's mark, sending a tool sliding off it's table with a loud crash. She snorted as the skittish male went after it. He was easily fooled, that was a problem. _

_Trance jumped, grabbing the pipes above her. She moved across them like a trained acrobat, so silently and gracefully that an android would be jealous. When she was near the male, she swung her legs up and hooked them into some wires so that she was spread eagle above his position. _

_The male sensed something and whipped around. But Trance was already descending on him, pushing him to the ground. The human's head hit the floor hard, and he was unconscious in seconds. _

_Not much of a fighter either, she mused, grabbing some pillows to tilt her quarry so that he was sitting upright. Trance then pushed her hand into her chest, reaching beyond matter, electricity, everything that made her exsist in this reality and many others. She kept going until she found that part of herself that was beyond description. The beings in this reality had a word for it, but the actual soul was beyond description, beyond a mere word. _

_Trance brought part of her mind back to Maru, her other hand reaching towards Harper's chest. Calming her mind, pushing all abilities beyond her limits, Trance was able to hold onto both planes of exsistance. She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut on what she knew would happen next. _

_Grabbing a part of her soul and a part of Harper's, Trance tore. She could feel, hear...hell in some parts she could taste her screams and cries of pain as part of her was ripped away. In the reality on the Maru, Harper stayed blissfully oblivious to the process. On other levels, he was barely surviving the attack. The rip ceased as Trance finally parted the piece of soul from it's whole. In time, the child would rebuild that part and even make new parts. The loss would continue to hurt her until she had the child, but Harper would get it soon enough that he would barely notice. It was probably for the best, considering Trance would be able to withstand the effects of the mating. _

_Trance pulled the pieces of soul to yet another reality, one her species called The Binding Ties. Here she prayed the souls would join. Sometimes the parents were not compatable enough, and the souls pushed away. But a child wanted into this world today, and it granted Trance's hopes. Smiling, Trance pulled the new life back onto the Maru. It stayed in her body for the breifest of moments before flowing down and out into Harper's body. _

_Trance's vision swirled, the pain and exhaustion of what she had just done finally taking over. She collasped next to Harper, letting the peace of dark claim her worn out conscious._

------------ 

Trance opened her eyes, watching area surrounding turn a happy orange as her child bounced around. 

"Yeah, it wasn't that much fun for all of us," she teased him. A mental giggle echoed around her. 

------------------ 

Harper looked around the bar, fighting the urge to fall upon his knees and pray to the Divine. He had not entered a bar, hell, he hadn't had an alcoholic beverage for over eight months. He had abstained for a few weeks of hard work, and the day he was going to open a smooth one, Trance had gotten him pregnant. 

Harper wondered how long before he'd get kicked out if he planted his ass under the tap and had the bartender turn it on as high as it'd go. 

"A whiskey please. Any kind you got," Harper called out. Beka, Rev, and he had been shopping, but as soon as he saw the dingy hole that was called a bar, he had run off like Dragan hounds were on his heels. Beka had promised to meet back with him in two hours. 

The bartender set Harper's drink in front of him, and the young man examined it, wondering in which way would he get the best flavor. Finally deciding on a side and style, Harper tilted the glass towards his mouth. He held back a moan as the frothy liquid hit his lips, slid past his teeth, ran smoothly over his tounge, and finally down his throat leaving that beautiful taste of barely and hops in his mouth to savor. 

"Wow, if that's how you treat a beer, I'd love to see how you treat the ladies." Harper spun around, looking up at the tall woman standing over him. His mouth fell open as he recognized the short brunette. 

"Coco!" Harper stood up, his whiskey completely forgotten as he pulled his old friend close into a tight hug. Coco returned the favor. 

"I don't believe it, what're you doing here?" he asked. 

"I'm actually working around this drift. What menial jobs I can find and such," she shrugged. "Right now I'm a waitress over at the _Makra Mix_." Coco rolled her eyes upon saying the name. "No imagination in these part whatsoever. So what about you? What's Mr. Seamus Z. Harper gotten his nose into this time?" 

"I've got two words for you babe." Harper sat back down, returning to his drink. "Andromeda Ascendant." Coco's eyes went wide. 

"Who?" She looked confused, then a little hurt. "What, you actually got a girlfriend?" 

"I wish," Harper said. "Andromeda's an old High Guard Heavy Cruiser that Beka and I pulled out of a black hole." 

"And I'm Moses." Coco sat down next to him. 

"No seriously," Harper took a sip. "She got stuck on the event horizon of a black hole, frozen in time for over three hundred years. Our team pulls her out, and we find this High Guard Captain, Dylan Hunt, who was frozen with her, and he decides he wants to restore the systems Commonwealth. So we've been at that for the last two years." 

"Restoring the Commonwealth?" Coco hit him, causing Harper to spill some of his drink. "C'mon Harper, don't give me this B.S. of yours." 

"Don't believe me if you don't wanna, but it's the truth." Harper grabbed a towel, mopping the liquid up, while Coco studied him. 

"High Guard Heavy Cruiser? Glorious Heritage Class?" she finally asked. 

"You better believe it. And I get to fix her." Harper preened a bit. "You should come visit sometimes, I know how much you love that old stuff." 

"Maybe. Right now I'm just satisfied with this relic." Coco patted his head. 

"Hey, I'm only twenty-five." 

"On Earth that's ancient," she said. 

"We're not on Earth anymore," he countered, then quickly changed the subject. "Beka will be happy to see you again." 

"I know, but it's not Beka I'm concerned with right now." Coco smiled wickedly, something Harper used to love. "I've made enough to get my own place here. How about tonight," she traced a finger up his arm, "we catch up on old times?" 

Harper frowned, looking her over. It's not like he didn't expect this when he saw Coco. The two of them had been casual partners ever since they were eighteen on Earth. Every once in awhile they'd bump into each other in the great wide spaces of the universe and have a good time, that is, as long as they weren't serious about someone else. 

Harper sighed. Trance had made her feelings clear. They weren't a couple; it wasn't like he was cheating or anything. So why was he hesitating. 

"You're cooking dinner right?" he asked, smirking back. Coco gave Harper's thigh a gentle squeeze. 

"As long as you bring the wine."


	20. Chapter 20

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

Harper whistled as he straightened out his shirt, not that he'd be keeping it long. He snickered at the thought. He had finally been able to convince himself after a few hours of mental debate that spending a night with Coco would only help his present situation. Harper figured it'd help him relax, and maybe it'd even give him the chance to sort his feelings for Trance out. Maybe all he felt for his golden goddess was sexual frustration mixed up in his newfound fatherly emotions. 

"That's right Harper, that's all it is." He sighed. "Just keep telling yourself and maybe it'll come true." Harper shook his head and told himself to stop getting down. Tonight he was going to have fun. 

"Telling yourself what?" Beka asked as she stepped into the small fresher, 'causing Harper to yelp out. 

"Knock!" he cried out agitated. Beka raised an eyebrow and then wrinkled her nose. 

"Oh god, what are you wearing?" She waved her hand in front of her face. 

"_L'Odeur d'Amour_," Harper said. "I put too much on didn't I?" 

"I'll be surprised if there's more left." Beka smiled and looked him over. "What's up with you tonight? My little boy's all dressed up." 

Harper stuck his tongue out at her, and Beka cuffed him. 

"I ran into Coco," he replied while fixing his now mussed hair. "She's sorry she can't see you and Rev, but she had to get back to work. But she invited me over to her house tonight." 

"I'm guessing not to play card games," Beka said, the look on Harper's face telling her all she needed to know. "You accepted?" 

"I shouldn't have?" Harper turned from the mirror to face Beka. She had a disapproving look on her face. "What?!" Beka rolled her eyes. 

"Harper, for being such a genius, you can be such a guy." 

"Some of us happen to like my manliness. Like me!" Harper weaved around her to get out of the suddenly very small space and into his quarters. 

"Did you even think about Trance?" Beka asked. 

"Of course I thought about Trance!" Harper looked insulted. "That's all I've done all day is thought about Trance." 

"And what part of your body did you exactly think with?" Beka followed him. "If you thought about Trance all day and are still going through with this, it sure as hell wasn't your head." 

"Look Bek, Trance has made her feelings towards me very clear. No intimate relationship happening whatsoever. Now I'm not going to abandon our child, but I'm sick of waiting for Trance to just wake up one day with her mind completely changed on the subject." Harper sat down on a bunk, glaring up at Beka. "I'm accepting that." 

"Accepting? You haven't accepted?" Beka smiled as Harper's glare increased its intensity. He was pissed now, but she knew he'd thank her later. 

"Since when did you become Cupid?" he snapped. 

"When you became stupid," she taunted. 

"I really don't need this. Coco's waiting for me." Harper stalked out of the room towards the exit. 

"Harper, please!" Beka called, making him stop. "Listen, I don't care what Trance thinks, you know this will put a un-necessary strain on your already fragile relationship. You can't afford that right now." 

Harper paused at the doorway, his hands clenching and unclenching. Finally he just shook his and continued out of the Maru. Beka said a few choice words before running off to find Rev.


	21. Chapter 21

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

Harper yawned as he woke up, smiling and pressing his lips to the bare shoulder in front of him, working across the blade and up into the crook of the neck. He gently nuzzled the soft skin, smiling as he was rewarded when the warm body moved closer with a small sigh. 

"Morning," Harper whispered, nibbling the edge of her ear. 

"Morning." She turned over and gently pressed her lips to his. The kiss deepened until they broke apart for air. 

"So how's my golden goddess?" Harper asked grinning, his lips ghosting across her pale cheek. Trance closed her eyes and allowed herself to become lost in the feeling of them so close, his heart beating against her still chest. 

"Trance?" 

"Sorry," she apologized, opening her eyes to stare into sapphire ones. "Just feeling." 

Harper smiled and pushed a strand of hair out of her face. 

"Don't ever be sorry," he said softly, pressing their foreheads together. "It's time to get up." 

"What?" she mumbled, inhaling his scent. 

"You need to wake up Trance." 

Trance bolted upright in bed, breathing hard and sweating. Calming herself down, she slid out of bed and padded towards the fresher. Despite the fact that Harper had left, Trance found she had become accustomed to his quarters and slept easier there now. 

"What the hell was that?" she asked out loud to no one in particular after finishing her water. She had been teaching her son a lesson one minute, and the very next... 

Shaking her head, Trance walked over to the couch and sat down, putting in an old holo. Sleep was not going to happen tonight, not after that dream. Her species never thought of dreams as a joke. The lessons of the subconscious were never to be taken lightly. She stared at the moving pictures, trying to reason out what exactly had caused the dream. 

It's represents something, she mused. What could Harper and her kissing in a bed symbolize? The absolute basic choice was to say Trance was, as most humans crudely put it, horny. But then why Harper? Well of course there was the obvious fact he was her friend, a good companion, the father of their child. All were excellent excuses... 

Reasons! she chided herself. They were reasons. Damn that Loki, Trance mentally growled. Putting thoughts in her head... 

"That's it!" Trance yelled out. "Lonely, the dream represents my need for comfort." From the abandonment of my family, she thought sourly. At least she was bright enough to solve this riddle. That should teach them something. 

But why don't I feel easier, Trance wondered, continuing to ponder. So deep in thought was the alien, she failed to notice the mental laugh of an unborn child. 

--------------------------- 

"I must be improving!" Coco beamed as Harper polished off what was left on his plate. Truth be told, she was still horrible, but old habits die hard, and Harper couldn't stand to ever let something slightly edible go to waste. 

"With some more practice you could catch a career as a chef," Harper replied after swallowing. Coco's smile spread as she cleared off the table. As soon as she was gone, he downed his glass of wine, sighing as the taste lingered in his mouth. 

"Whoa!" Harper yelped, jumping up as a hand snaked down his chest. He spun around and calmed upon seeing Coco's smirking face. She approached a little more slowly this time, pressing them close. 

"Seems you have some energy," she whispered before pressing their lips together. "How's about we find a way to relax you?" 

"Relaxing is good," he said, and Coco began to slide a hand under his shirt. He grabbed the wrist gently. "But don't you think we should talk first or something?" Harper went on quickly. "When was the last time we really got to catch up?" 

"Over dinner silly," Coco laughed before pulling him over to the couch and lying across the young man's lap. "We talked for hours while I was preparing too. And we keep in contact with letters. Honestly, it's not like talking is hard for you," she teased before kissing him again. 

Harper allowed her entry, returning the gesture of affection with force. Coco tasted sweet like chocolate, her signature trait. On Earth, Harper had been the only one to call her Coco, their other friends not knowing why exactly. She had liked it and kept it. Harper briefly wondered what new nicknames he could come up with for Trance if the same situation occurred... 

"Harper?!" He started, and looked up at a very amused Coco. "You've been kissing air for the past minute. Distracted much?" 

"Sorry..." She leaned back in. 

"But you know what they say," Harper started again, "no sex thirty minutes after you eat? I me-AN!" The last part of Harper's sentence went high when Coco stuck her tongue in his ear. "Oh wow, you're really good at that," he said melting. 

"You talk too much," she said before tending to the slowly relenting man underneath her. 

"Isn't that part of my charm," Harper gasped out before lifting her shirt to send gentle kisses across her stomach. Stomach? Something suddenly snapped, because Harper very suddenly pushed Coco off his lap. 

"What the hell was that about?!" she yelled, getting up off the floor. 

"I'm sorry!" Harper rested his head in his hands. "I am so sorry..." 

"Seamus, what's wrong?" The irritated look disappeared and Coco regarded Harper sympathetically. She slowly placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"This isn't going to work out." He stood up and grabbed his jacket, heading for the door. 

"Seamus, talk to me!" Coco yelled, making him stop. "It's someone else isn't it? Dammit, we agreed not to do anything if there was someone serious!" 

"I'm not sure what's going on," Harper whispered. "It's...it's too confusing right now. I'm sorry for getting you all fancied up and everything, Ivela." 

She sighed as he used her real name. He never called her that. They weren't serious enough. Life was a game when it came down to just them; sex was simply a roll of the dice like work or eating. How was it Harper was growing up before her? 

"Look, whatever is spinning around in that confused brain of yours right now, it's too complicated for me. You better just go," Coco said, giving him an easy way out. Harper nodded thankfully and slipped out the door. 

"And if you ever do that again, I'll beat your ass!" she called after, a little break in her voice before going to polish off the wine bottle.


	22. Chapter 22

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

Beka paced around the Maru like a caged animal. It had only been a few hours ago that Rev had held her back from marching down to Coco's residence and pulling Harper out of there by the ear. 

"You should have let me go." She glared at the Magog sitting at the table and reading a book. Rev sighed and placed a marker between the pages. 

"Master Harper must be allowed to make his own mistakes. You cannot hold his hand for his entire life, Beka." 

"Who says?" she asked, falling back into a bunk, her attitude changing. "It's my fault for not talking to him sooner. And then pushing too much when the time finally came." 

"Do not blame yourself Rebecca," Rev said, frowning. "Nobody is perfect." 

"Especially me," Beka said. 

"What I meant is you shouldn't expect Harper to be," Rev said, returning to his book. "Even so, I'm sure he'll make the right decision. From what I gather, Harper has matured quite a bit since I last left you." 

"Yeah, well, apparently he hasn't grown enough," she began. "You know, for once I'd..." 

Beka stopped and stood, pointing her gun down the corridor as the familiar sound of the doors opening echoed through the ship. Her arm fell to her side at the same time her mouth fell open. Harper glanced at both her and Rev, then walked to the crew quarters. 

"No, we didn't, and no, I don't want to talk about it," he answered Beka before she could ask. "If you say 'I'm so proud of you' or 'I told you so,' do not blame me for sudden light instabilities or temperature alterations in your quarters." With that he swung himself up into his bunk, taking off his shoes and jacket, which narrowly missed Beka as they were thrown off to the side. Harper curled up and pretended to sleep. 

Beka looked over at Rev, and the two exchanged quick smiles. 

"I heard that!" Harper yelled, causing Beka to roll her eyes before heading off to bed herself. Rev continued to look at the pages of the book, his mind drifting off into his memories of the early days of the Maru crew. It was good to be back. 

-------------------------- 

Rev was happily welcomed back by all the crew minus Tyr, who didn't show much emotion towards the priest at all. In a few weeks, Harper would send a letter to Coco, apologizing again and hoping they could remain good friends. He wouldn't get a letter back. Beka and Rev never mentioned the incident to Trance, and as far as they knew, she was oblivious. 

Two days after their return, Harper had Rommie call Trance into his quarters. The golden pixie was in a good mood, until she saw the look on the young man's face. Trance gently sat down next to him on the bed, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

"Harper, what's wrong?" she asked, concerned. 

"Trance, I've...I've..." He looked over at her. "Could you please take your hand off me?" 

Trance obeyed, her alarm growing by the nanosecond. It was clearly showing on her face. Harper was being overly fidgety, and he kept avoiding her eyes. 

"Harper, you're really beginning to worry me," she said, reaching for him again, but he shied away. "What is it? Is it me?" 

"No!" he cried, and then stopped. "I mean...I'm not sure anymore, Trance. It's all so confusing." 

"What is confusing?" she asked him. 

"Isn't your species supposed to know everything?" Harper teased, though the humor failed to make a presence in his voice. 

"I never said that," Trance said. 

"No, you didn't. Because you never tell me anything." Harper stood up suddenly. "Why Trance?" 

"What makes you think I never tell you anything?" she accused. 

"Wrong again. You're losing your touch," he said, once again humorless. "Why can't there be an us?" 

Everything Trance had planned to say dissolved. She was left open mouthed and speechless, only regaining composure after seeing Harper was staring at her and waiting for an answer. 

"Why do people end up with the people they end up with?" Trance finally decided on. "Harper, even I don't know the answer to that." 

"But you do, don't you. The only reason you wouldn't want to be with me is because you don't love me." 

"That's not true!" Trance stood up to meet Harper eye to eye. "I love you with all my heart! It's just not the way you want it. Harper, you don't know how much I want to make you happy, but I..." 

He had to get her to shut up. It was all becoming too much, and Trance's words were adding to the giant weight that seemed to press onto his very brain and invade his thoughts. She wasn't understanding. And everything he was saying wasn't making her understand. So Harper placed a hand on either side of her head and mashed their lips together. 

Perfection. That's what Trance's nickname should be. She tasted like everything he had ever wanted in life and never been able to gain. A warm feeling coursed through him as well as surprise as Trance started to respond. The warmth was soon smashed along with his body against a cold wall of steel as Trance abruptly ended the kiss by pushing him away with all her force. 

"You had no right!" she screamed as he gingerly stood. Harper noted she was much cuter mad. 

"Tell me you didn't feel anything," he said, ignoring the fact he had a pissed pixie ready to strangle him. "That's all I want to hear, just tell me you didn't feel anything." 

"Is that what it's going to take?!" Trance cried, still upset. Now was the time, the time her brother had talked to her about. Now it had to be absolutely clear. "Nothing, I felt absolutely nothing! Are you satisfied? There is nothing between us Harper." 

Harper jerked like he had been shot. That's sure as hell how he felt. Maybe Beka was right. Maybe he had been watching too many holo dramas. Because in his mind, Harper had envisioned a perfect future. The kiss was unexpected, but he had anticipated Trance to come out with all these feelings she had for him but had been afraid to tell. They would kiss some more and spend the night talking about how perfect their lives would be. Their child would be born, and they'd all live on the Andromeda happily ever after. 

Snowballs in hell had better chances. 

Trance regretted her words the moment they left her mouth. Why did Harper have to do this to her, why now? So many questions, and for once the young female didn't have the answers. Harper swallowed a few times, then nodded. 

"Okay." He bit his lip, trying to keep that promise he had made to himself before starting this conversation. No tears. "You've made your point. I'll respect that from now on. It...It doesn't mean I will, or even can, stop..." Harper choked, then took a deep breath, "...loving you in that way. I'll just have to deal with it, I guess." 

"Harper, I still love you, you know that," Trance whispered. 

"Please don't ever say that again," Harper said before walking out the door. Trance fell back onto the couch, tears streaming down her face. 

Why couldn't it just be like it used to be? Why did things and people have to change? Why did words hurt so much? Why were humans so stupid? Why did she have to be born different? Why did it feel like the universe was playing with her? 

This had all started with a why. Why can't there be an us? 

"Oh Harper, if only you knew."


	23. Chapter 23

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

"What do you want Tyr?" Harper asked, impatient about the fact the Nietzschean had been standing over him for the past three minutes without speaking. 

"How is your child faring?" he asked. "You have a week left of progress if I'm not mistaken." 

"Less actually. Trance says he's developing much faster than he should be. Must be from her side of the family," Harper said bitterly, tugging a little harder at the wires he was untangling. 

"How is the golden one doing?" Tyr wasn't surprised when Harper remained silent. "A good father knows not only the condition of his child, but that of his wife as well. For she carries the child. The two of you haven't spoken for three weeks beyond the baby's condition." 

"Well if you haven't noticed, Trance isn't exactly my wife now is she?" Harper hissed between clenched teeth. "And that's just fine with me you know? She doesn't want me, hey, that's fine. I'll just go rip out my intestines and stomp all over them. Sure would hurt less..." 

Tyr sighed as Harper continued his rant, finally grasping the boy's shoulder and turning him so he was looking at the Nietzschean. Harper fell silent. 

"I do not see what you do in this female. She's too…capricious and unusual to make a good mate." Harper rolled his eyes, but Tyr continued to hold him in place. "However, you chose her, and she rejected you. You're allowed to feel..." 

"Heartbroken?" Harper said for Tyr seeing as the other man wasn't used to such terms. He hadn't grown up with those principles. 

"If that is the word. But dwelling on it is only making things worse. Move on, if for nothing else than the sake of your child." Harper looked down, not knowing how to reply. Tyr let him out of having to form one by ruffling his hair before leaving the boy to consider the conversation. Harper watched as the Nietzschean walked off, then turned back to his work. 

"Looks like Dylan's getting competition in the Mr. Know It All category," Harper muttered as he started to finish up. 

"You know he's right," Andromeda said appearing next to Harper. "Although I never thought I'd be saying that." 

"Does everyone want to pry into my personal life?!" the engineer cried out exasperated. 

"Fine I'll stop prying." Andromeda stood there for a few more seconds. "But Trance is on the Observation Deck if you want her," the AI said quickly before disappearing. Harper let out a long sigh and picked up his tools. 

"Fine, I'll go. Better do it anyways before Dylan shows up." Harper held back a laugh as the loud footsteps he had heard approaching quickly receded. "Score one for the little guy." 

------------------------------- 

"Harper?" Trance frowned as he poked his head into the room. "I have already done the scan for today, and I told you if I found out anything new I would already tell you. So what, now you don't trust me?" 

Harper had taken a half an hour to calm himself before meeting with Trance. Her last sentence made those thirty minutes a complete waste of time. 

"Hey, it's not my fault we're in this situation," he said. "It's not like I can control what I feel for whoever." 

"And it's my fault exactly how?" Trance asked him, tired of these arguments. "If you hadn't been so nosy, you wouldn't have gotten pregnant in the first place." 

"Hey, I was falling for you long before you knocked me up!" Harper yelled back. "It sounds to me like someone doesn't want our child." 

"How dare you accuse me of that!" Trance shouted, stalking towards him. "I've been trying to be nice about all of this, but it's getting hard, and you are certainly not helping." 

"Look, I came here to talk, not to argue. But if we're just going to howl at each other, I'm leaving." Harper turned to go. 

"You do that. Just like always." Trance was aiming for a tender spot, and she was hitting her mark. "Just run away when it comes to your emotions and friends." 

"Confronting my emotions and friendship is the reason we're here in the first place!" he yelled back. "If anything you're the one who's afraid." Trance turned away and gazed out upon the stars instead. "I knew it! C'mon Trance, what're you afraid of? What is it that's keeping you from giving me a straight answer here?" 

"Stop prying!" she cried, turning back towards him. "Just stop it, please Harper! I'm begging you..." Trance trailed off as things suddenly became blurry. Harper went from steaming to distressed in a matter of seconds. 

"Trance?" 

"Harper, I don't feel so..." Trance's eyes rolled up into her head and she fell back, Harper running over to catch her. Unfortunately, Trance had gained quite a bit over the past four months, and Harper wasn't the strongest being in the universe to begin with. Instead of stopping her descent, he merely cushioned it. 

"Rommie!" Harper yelled out, fear lacing his words. "Rommie help!" 

The hologram appeared in front of Harper who had wiggled out from under Trance and was now cushioning her head in his lap. 

"Harper, calm down," she soothed. "I have three bots coming to help take Trance to medical. And I've alerted the rest of the crew." 

"Rommie, what's wrong with her?" he asked, pushing a dreadlock out of the still woman's face. Harper looked at the AI after not receiving an answer. He didn't like the expression on Andromeda's face. "Rommie?!" 

"Well as far as my scanners read, she died. I detect no life signs of any kind." Harper visibly paled. "But this is Trance. It probably doesn't mean a thing. The child is fine, I can still read a normal heartbeat." Harper let out a shaky breath. 

Beka and Dylan were the first two to arrive, followed by the bots carrying a stretcher. Tyr met them in the Med Deck along with Rommie. Tyr looked curiously over at Trance as he helped Dylan lift her onto a nearby bed. Rommie, the only other qualified medic, began to give the golden alien a through examination. 

"She'll be fine," Beka said, placing a comforting hand on Harper's shoulder as the anxious boy looked on. 

"The girl should be more than fine," Tyr commented, exchanging a glance with the avatar. "The scents she's giving off, the position and movements of the child, and the time of the year. It makes sense." 

"What does?" Harper asked him. Rommie showed Harper the results of the testing. 

"She's gone into labour." 


	24. Chapter 24

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

"You have got to be kidding me!" Harper yelled, grabbing the flexi and reading it over. "How can she be going into labour, she's dead!" 

"It's true, her cervix has already started to dilate. This process, like everything else during Trance's pregnancy, is speeding along twice as fast. In other words, we don't have much time to get ready." Rommie turned back to the Marias who where busy setting up the area for the delivery. 

"What can we do to help?" Beka asked. 

"Tyr, I assume you've gone through the proper training for delivering a child." The Nietzschean nodded. "Good. I want everyone but you and Harper out of here," the android said. "I need the two of you to get sterilized. Now!" 

Nobody dared to disobey Rommie. Beka, Rev, and Dylan quickly left the room. Tyr and Harper walked over to a small area where Andromeda released a strong chemical to kill the bacteria on their clothing and skin. She then vented the chemical and allowed the two to strap on aprons to protect their clothing. 

"I've got it," Tyr said, tying the strap around Harper's neck and waist. The boy was shaking so hard he couldn't get it himself. "Calm yourself." 

"You're not the one with the dead mother about to give birth to your child," he hissed back. Tyr ignored Harper. 

"Deep breaths," he said, and Harper followed his instructions, gently chanting Rev's mantra to help as well. Tyr stuck his hands in a tub of liquid latex, gloves instantly forming on his arms. Harper, after he finally stopped shaking, did the same. 

They both walked over to find Rommie had dressed Trance in the white robes they used in medical. The pixie was also positioned in a squatting manner while the android peered into the robes. She looked over as the two entered the area. 

"Harper, I want you to stay up by her head. She doesn't seem to be sweating or experiencing any pain, but if she does come to halfway through the delivery, I want you to be there." Harper nodded and took his place at the head of the bed, gently stroking Trance's hair as Tyr joined Rommie at the foot of the bed. 

"I don't believe it." Harper looked up at Rommie who was looking very shocked. 

"What's happening?" he asked, the fear obvious in his eyes. 

"The baby is just sliding out on it's own, no pushing whatsoever," Rommie said in amazement. "This has to be the most painless birth in the history of the known universe." 

"Looks like you got lucky," Harper whispered to Trance. He didn't receive a response. "Please say you'll wake up from this," he whispered softly. "I'm so sorry for yelling at you and for making things so stressful on you. But I promise I'll try and work it out with you. Just don't actually die on me now ok?" 

There was a sudden jolt as the ship began to rock. 

"Hey! We're trying to operate here!" Harper yelled to no one in particular. Andromeda's holo appeared next to her counterpart. 

"It's the Than!" she yelled incredulously. 

"They sure picked a hellava time to start picking on us!" Harper growled, holding Trance's prone body steady when the ship rocked with another explosion. Andromeda's hologram began to flicker. 

"They've sent out swarms of drones that're attaching themselves to my hull. It's feeding something into my system," she said, looking pissed the only way Rommie could. "Reserve power is being drained from my systems. Current power is..." The lights on the ship went off and Rommie collapsed to the ground. 


	25. Chapter 25

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

"Dammit!" Harper was slightly shocked. It wasn't like Tyr never shouted; he just wasn't usually so emotional about it. 

"I've got it!" Harper reached for his toolbelt and cursed loudly when he remembered he had taken it off before going to talk with Trance. He jogged over to a panel and ripped off the covering, messing around with the wires and trying to get the emergency lighting to come on. He let out a relieved laugh as they did. 

"Something is finally working right!" Harper ran over and started fiddling with the doors. 

"Boy, what are you doing?" Tyr called, checking Trance's vitals. Nothing. 

"I need to go get my toolbelt and head down to the slipstream core. I'm guessing Rommie just got infected with a pretty nasty virus," Harper said. "And I need to go fix it before we all end up a row of heads on some bug person's game wall." 

"Normally I would agree with you, but the child is coming!" 

------------------------------ 

Trance was in a rather large room. It had dull gray walls, a dull gray ceiling, dull gray shag carpet, and a light blue basinet in the corner. Pictures of cute animals, ranging from teddy bears to Ingitne covered part of the walls as a light blue trim touched up the ceiling. 

She smiled as she looked down, humming a beautiful tune native to her species. Her child, in a light blue baby's gown, yawned and snuggled closer to its mother, burying his face in her bosom. Trance continued to rock in the dull green rocking chair, basking in the warm sunlight that streamed through the window of the baby's room. It was such a beautiful day, warm and breezy outside. 

And inside too. Trance began to fan herself as the temperature increased. The intensity of the sun kept growing, the gray light reflecting off the walls until it was blinding her. The heat continued to increase until it was painful in nature. The baby in her arms started screaming, and Trance picked him up and started running towards where she thought the door was. She had to get him out of here before they both were burned. But all Trance found was solid wall. The baby continued to scream as the lights brightened; Trance wrapped herself protectively around him. The heat was hurting her as well, her skin felt like millions of tiny needles were continuously being stuck in her. She bit back a cry of pain as and inched around, feeling the walls for an opening of any kind. 

"Ah!" Trance pulled her hand back from the wall. The skin on her fingers was blackened. She fell to the floor as the heat and light became too much to bear. Even though she couldn't open her eyes to see it, she felt her skin bubbling. The brightness faded to a deep maroon, then a soft purple, but the heat failed to die. There was one last scream from the baby. Then it all stopped. 

Trance looked up to find the room was gone, and she was back on the Andromeda. She panicked as she realized the child was gone from her arms, and began to look around wildly. There was a sniffling sound coming from her right. Trance ran into the room and saw Harper sitting on his bed, his back turned towards her. 

"Harper?" she whispered, coming up behind him. He jumped up and turned around, his entire body rigid. 

"You bitch!" he screamed. Trance backed away with alarm. Harper had a huge hole in his chest; most of his internal organs were showing. The tears that ran down his face were blood red. At least Trance guessed they were tears. Harper's eyes were missing as well, replaced by flames that shot out of his eyes like a nightmarish jack-o-lantern. "Look what you've done!" he cried out, falling to his knees. 

Trance felt something move in her hand. She looked down, slowly bringing the hand up to her face. A still beating heart sat there. Trance gasped in horror and dropped it, watching it fall to the floor with a sickening thud. A foot stepped on it, and Trance covered her ears as Harper screamed in anguish. 

The scream was cut off as abruptly as the child's had, and something smooth touched Trance's face causing her to yelp as she opened her eyes. A rather large snake hissed and then crawled the rest of the way down the wall. Trance looked over at where Harper's heart had been, but there was a foot. Slowly she followed the foot upwards and saw a young human looking curiously at her. 

"Where am I?" she asked him, tears streaming down her face. 

"I can help you." He reached out for her hand, and Trance moved to take it. But his touch burned like the room had, and she moved away. The boy frowned. "Let me help you." 

"I can't. You hurt me," she told him. The boy burst into tears, which began to collect on the ground. Trance reached forward to comfort the distressed child, but he ran away from her. His tears began to spread on the floor, and Trance realized with horror that they weren't stopping. The salty liquid expanded until it became an ocean and swept the terrified pixie away. 

"Help me!" she called out sputtering. "Please, someone help!" 

Something firm grabbed her leg, and Trance found herself pulled onto solid ground. Someone wrapped a pink blanket around her shivering shoulders. Trance looked up to see a normal Harper smiling down at her. She began sobbing, and he pulled her close into a tight hug. 

"It's all ok now. We'll be fine, we'll be just fine," he whispered into her ear. "Shhh..." 

"What's happening," Trance asked. Harper smiled, and pulled Trance over to a door. She looked at him, but he gave her a reassuring smile. 

"We'll get through this." She started to move forward, but he grabbed her hand. "Remember, you're always going to be my golden goddess." Trance couldn't help but smile. She turned the knob and proceeded into the clear grayness beyond. 

----------------------- 

"Already?!" Harper ran over and followed Tyr's gaze. The Nietzschean caught him as he fell back, but a sound slap got the boy in working condition. 

"Crowning," the Nietzschean growled, shaking his head. "I'll need your help here." 

"But I don't know anything about delivering babies! I just know how to make 'em!" Harper whimpered, rubbing his sore cheek. 

"Just follow my instructions. Now go get a few extra blankets." Harper scurried off. 

"Blankets, blankets...where the hell are the damn blankets?!" The ship rocked again. "Stop that!" The rocking popped open a door nearby and a pile of soft blankets fell out. Harper just stared at them for a second. 

"Well at least I know Trance isn't completely dead," he mumbled, scooping up an armful of the soft material before running back towards Tyr. 

"Tyr! I've got the..." Harper faltered as he looked towards the foot of the bed to see Tyr gently helping a small child finish it's transition into this world. After the head and shoulders were out, the rest of his child came out of the mother without a fuss. 

Tyr motioned for Harper to come down, motioning to a small blade on the table nearby. The new father looked down at his squirmy, very messy child. Harper gently cut the cord before Tyr whisked him over to a sink of warm water to clean the silver and green fluids covering the child. 

"Congratulations," he said as Harper stood nearby and watched as to make sure the Nietzschean was tending to the child in a right manner. Harper noticed Tyr frowning, but the frown vanished as the child coughed up some fluids and blinked, looking around at this strange place he had been forced into. 

There he was, Harper thought as Tyr handed him his child to wrap in one of the blankets. Right there was nine months of pain, of joy, sorrow, love, laughter, tears...all wrapped up in this perfect being. Harper shifted his arms until they were just like Trance had taught him. Most children were worn out after the long birthing process, but Harper's son was wide-eyed and awake, looking up and regarding his father with as much curiosity as Harper regarded him with. 

He was practically smothering in a huge, soft blanket, but the child's squirming was soon going to do away with all off that. Harper could see that Trance had been wrong about the appearance. His child was completely human except for pointed ears and the blue tail that managed to stick it's way out of the end of the blanket. 

For the first time in his life, tears came to Harper's eyes. Not tears of pain and suffering. He knew those all too well. Harper wept in joy. 

"Why're you crying?" Harper looked up and saw Trance, her eyes half open, looking like she had felt every minute of the labour process. Harper walked over to her, but since his arms were full, all he could do was look down at her with delight. Trance noticed the bundle in his arms, and she suddenly woke the entire way up. 

"Is that..." she faltered. 

"It is. A perfectly healthy baby boy. Eight pounds and five ounces, ten fingers, ten toes, and one tail," Tyr answered for them. 

Harper pulled up a stool and sat next to Trance, holding their child where she could see him. Trance reached out a trembling hand and ran it over the smooth skin on her son's face. He smiled. 

"We did it," she said, looking up at Harper. "We actually did it." 


	26. Your Guide to the Realm of Dreams

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

**Your guide to the realm of dreams:**

You may have noticed that unlike Trance's other dream, this one isn't as obvious in nature. It uses a ton of symbolism and my own weird quirks. Some of you might want to try and figure it out, either for hints into the next story, or just for fun (I sure had fun writing it!), so I've decided to help you. 

Now some of you that are interested in dreams like me are going to try and tell me that everything in this dream represents something else. Well unless I put it down here, it doesn't. Which means Harper is Harper, and the boy is a boy, and so on and so forth...Remember, this is Trance. I kinda mixed in her prediction abilities in here. So some things are what they appear to be... 

Ok, onto what each thing means: 

Colors: 

_Dull gray_ - Related with a transition period. If clear signifies peace but if dull it signifies fear. 

_Blue_ - A great source of inner peace and a symbol of contentment. 

_Pink_ - Associated with tenderness and love. You can expect interesting developments in relations with opposite sex. 

_Green_ - Great pleasures from simple things. 

Body Parts: 

_Intestines_ - They signify unforgivable results in own affairs, probably loss with much displeasure and family quarrels. 

_Blood_ - Essence. Life energy. 

_Knees_ - To dream of knees denotes sickness and humiliation. It also means dissatisfaction and complaints of those in the home, and separation of lovers. 

_Heart_ - Love and security. 

_Face_ - This dream denotes displeasure with yourself. 

_Leg_ - Is associated with support and movement. Joy and happiness. 

Objects: 

_Music_ - Harmony. Need to express yourself. 

_Snake/Boa_ - It indicates stormy times and bad fortune. 

_Ocean_ - Your feeling overwhelmed with emotions. 

_Heat_ - Intense emotions. Stress. 

_Hug_ - Loving protection. 

_Door_ - Ready to enter. 

_Blanket_ - Improvement of conditions. 

Actions: 

_Crying_ - Grief and emotions that need to be released. 

  
This dream will eventually make sense as the next story goes on (if you can get it more or less along the right lines, you'll get a small sneak peek... ). If you don't understand by the time this series is over, go ahead and drop an e-mail and I'll explain.  Always happy to help.


	27. Chapter 26

Title: Effervescent Essence  
Author: Harper's aka Weird_Peace  
Rating: PG-13  
Synopsis: Sequel to And You Thought Larvae Were Bad. I highly suggest you read the first fiction.  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, but I love 'em anyways.  
Spoilers: Season Two spoilers. 

-------------------- 

The ship shook again, pulling the new family out of their happy state. Trance looked around bewildered. 

"What's going on?" she asked the two men. Harper quickly handed her their son. 

"A little trouble with the Than. We'll be right back," Harper explained, heading towards Tyr who had successfully pried the doors open. As an afterthought, he turned back and pecked the child on the forehead and gave Trance's hand a quick squeeze. Smiling he ran back towards the dark corridors. Trance smiled back, and then shifted her son about to get a better look at him. 

Harper headed towards the slipstream core, leaving behind Tyr who headed towards Command and passing by one of the machine shops to grab his toolbelt. Upon arrival he immediately jacked into the ship's VR matrix. Andromeda was waiting for him. 

"What happened?" she asked. 

"Trance woke up after the baby was born. He's completely healthy." The AI sighed in relief. 

"I managed to put up enough firewalls to protect my backup systems and keep fifty percent of reserve power as well as thirty-five percent of my original systems and power. I've diverted the power to all necessary systems. I'm sorry, but if we wanted to get out of here alive, I couldn't support Medical as well. The virus is slowly breaking through though," she wrinkled her nose. "Dylan, Beka, and now Tyr are in Command. Weapons and sub light engines are operational, but I can't get slipstream working. We've been trading missiles for the past twenty minutes. And while I'm holding my own, I can't do this all day." 

"Well don't worry Rom-doll, that's what I'm here for." Harper walked over to a string of data and began untangling the virus from its web. 

------------------ 

"Ship!" Tyr yelled, firing another volley at the Than. 

"It's not her fault," Dylan said, looking up as the holo appeared next to him. "How's Harper doing?" 

"Slipstream is back online." The holo smiled as her voice echoed across the Command Deck. Dylan turned to the other two and smiled as well. 

"You heard the woman. Tyr, lay down a field of mines in case they try to follow. Beka, once we're far enough out, take us to slipstream." 

"Don't have to tell me twice," she said as Tyr deployed the mines, then turned the Andromeda to the waiting brightness and comfort of slipstream. 

---------------- 

"Are we safe yet?" Harper looked up as Rommie appeared next to him in the matrix. The virus was mostly erased from her systems, Harper was doing a final sweep to make sure not even a nanobyte was left in the system to spring up and trash his Andromeda again. "I mean we've only done about fifteen jumps." 

"Ten, and now we're safely back as Sinti," she told him. "You can go back to medical now, my own programming is clean enough to fish out the last trances of the virus." 

"Thanks Rommie," Harper told the AI before letting his conscious return to his body. Wincing, he removed the probe and put it back in his toolbelt before getting up and taking the shortest possible route to medical. Rommie, now back up and running, was standing guard over Trance and the baby like they were the Vedran Empress herself. 

"Don't hog," Harper teased, and Trance obliged and handed him the sleeping baby. Somehow he had managed to look even more perfect in the time Harper had been away. Harper looked from the child, then at Trance. She understood when their eyes met. 

"Rommie, could we be alone for a moment?" she asked. The android nodded and left the room to help the rest of herself with repairs. Harper sat back on the stool, and gazed back down at his son. He stared at the baby for a few minutes, trying to work out what to say. 

"Harper, I'm really sorry..." Trance started. 

"No Trance." He sighed, looking up at her. "It's me who should be sorry. I shouldn't have expected you to...feel the same way about me like I did about you." He gently took her hand. "You can't decide who it is you love anymore than I was allowed to decide." 

"It's my fault too," Trance said. "I wasn't exactly clear with you until it became too late." She smiled and squeezed his hand. "The right girl is out there, Harper. You'll find her and the two of you will live happily ever after in that small house with the white picket fence." 

Harper smiled back. He didn't tell Trance that the only person he wanted to live happily ever after with was her and their son. Right now they had formed some kind of rough peace agreement, and for once Harper wasn't going to ruin it with his petty feelings. Trance patted the space on the bed next to her, and Harper set himself there, putting their son right between them where both mother and father could touch and sense the beautiful thing that they had created. 

"I think I'm gonna cry," Beka said as she ran over, disturbing the tranquility. "Not really, but this is beyond touching." 

Harper rolled his eyes and got off the bed, picking up the child so the crew could see him as they came in. Beka gasped and reached a trembling hand forward. 

"Can I?" 

Trance nodded and Harper handed their son over, showing Beka the proper way to hold his head and body. The baby seemed to sense the excitement, because he gave an adorable yawn and blinked before looking up at this new creature that was handling him. Harper watched Beka like a hawk. It wasn't that he distrusted her, but this was the first time anyone but Trance or he had held their son. 

"He's so beautiful." Beka, despite her earlier statement, looked near tears. The baby gurgled happily, amused by the blonde one. "What's his name?" 

Harper's mouth fell open, and he stared at her in shock. 

"In all the excitement we totally forgot!" he cried. The rest of the crew looked at him incredulously. Trance hit Harper on the arm, and he broke down into a fit of giggles. Even Dylan looked ready to kill him. 

"Owen James Gemini Harper," Trance listed off for them. "Owen is fine." 

"You should have heard some of the early ones," Harper said as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Nietzscheans would have been proud from all the linage and historical accuracies...." 

Beka looked up as Dylan tapped her on the shoulder. Disappointed, she handed over Owen. Trance and Harper watched on as each of the crew took their turns with the baby. Dylan made cooing noises and baby talk, and Harper about choked from trying to hold in the laughter. The sight of the captain of the _Andromeda_ going mushy over a baby was just bizarre. Rommie looked appraisingly at him. He was a miracle in her eyes. AIEs could have children, but never like this. Surprisingly, or maybe not depending on one's point of view, it was Tyr who Harper had to go over and pry the child away from. The larger man seemed hypnotized by the little life in his arms; his eyes growing distant as Owen blinked up at him. 

Harper took the baby back over to Trance as the rest left on an unspoken signal. Owen had grown tired from all of the excitement. He yawned and leaned in the warmth of his mother's arms, immediately drifting off to sleep. 

"I now know why you were so sad when we transferred his spirit," she whispered to Harper. "I feel empty." 

Harper nodded and leaned forward to stroke the small amount of blondish fuzz on Owen's head. Trance's sadden gazed turned into a smile as his tail curled around one of her fingers. 

"But I don't think I'll ever feel lonely again." 


End file.
